Shiruko Explained

, or with the honorific, is a traditional Japanese dessert.[1] It is a sweet porridge of azuki beans boiled and crushed, served in a bowl with .[1] [2] There are different styles of, such as with candied chestnuts, or with glutinous rice flour dumplings instead of .

There are two types of based on different methods of cooking azuki beans. Azuki beans may be turned into paste, crushed without keeping their original shape, or a mix of paste and roughly crushed beans.[2] There is a similar dish,, which is made from condensed paste with heat and is less watery than, like making jam or marmalade. In Western Japan, refers to a type of made from a mixture of paste and crushed beans.[2] In Okinawa, the term commonly refers to this bean soup served over shaved ice with . Other toppings, such as sweetened condensed milk, are occasionally added for flavor.

The half-melted sticky and the sweet, warm red bean porridge is enjoyed by many Japanese, especially during the winter.[2] is frequently served with a side dish of something sour or salty, such as or to refresh the palate as is so sweet that the taste may cloy after a while.

In Tottori Prefecture and Shimane Prefecture, is also used for, the special soup for New Year celebration.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: shiruko Japanese. Uwajimaya. 2007-11-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071121182210/http://www.uwajimaya.com/glossary.asp?PrimaryName=shiruko+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++&Alpha=S+++++++++ . 2007-11-21.
  2. Web site: Shiruko: Sweet Bean Soup to Warm You Up in Cold Weather. Hiromi. Otani. 2004-03-15. live. 16 October 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20071016131719/http://web-japan.org/nipponia/nipponia28/en/appetit/index.html. 2007-11-13 . Nipponia No.28 on Web Japan.