Traditional Japanese confections are breathtaking and this Sakura Nerikiri is just as beautiful as the real flowers.

What is wagashi?

Wagashi are traditional Japanese confections that are often paired with green tea. They are typically made from plant-based ingredients such as anko (sweet azuki bean paste), agar, or rice. Wagashi are created as an art form and are as visually stunning as they are delicious. Oftentimes, they are influenced by the seasons, nature, and even poetry.

What is nerikiri?

Nerikiri is a type of wagashi that is made out of sweetened white bean paste and glutinous rice flower. It’s often served at tea ceremonies, but also make for a sweet snack for any time! The fun thing about nerikiri is that the consistency of the “dough” is similar to clay or playdough which makes it fun to mold into all sorts of shapes! Like many other wagashi, they often reflect the season and the most popular shape being the sakura, or cherry blossom, that is available during spring.

April Creator Feature: Yumi of The Happy Hapa Kitchen

Yumi is another half-Japanese girl I befriended on Instagram who is currently living in the UAE. She’s always loved to cook and bake but only began making nerikiri during lockdown when she realized she wouldn’t be able to visit Japan as planned. Living in the UAE, she doesn’t have access to many of the traditional Japanese ingredients and tools so she’s proof that you can make do with what you have to still make Japanese food and take part in Japanese culture.

Nerikiri is something she finds very meditative and is a way for her to connect more with the seasonality in Japan that she hasn’t had the chance to experience herself, since she grew up mainly in the US. It also gives her a chance to do something artistic but not too time-consuming. She enjoys adding different flavors inspired by the ingredients she finds, as her nerikiri and food account in general are a way of honoring the diverse food influences and lived experiences that shape her palate, while still respecting the roots/ethos of wagashi.

Aside from her wagashi, Yumi showcases traditional and modern Japanese food she makes along with one of my favorite series of hers, #HapaHeritageLoaves. She honors her heritage by scoring Japanese designs into bread! From traditional designs like Hokusai’s Great Wave to modern designs like Takashi Murakami’s iconic flower, it’s so unique and beautiful to see the Japanese aesthetic paired with something so Western, like bread.

I recommend following her on Instagram to check out all of her creations! Yumi hopes to expose her audience to aspects of Japanese culture that are not often part of the English-language media, but are very closely tied to her identity as a Japanese and American person.

Check out Yumi’s Instagram here!

A little about the ingredients & some tips:

White bean paste (shiro-an) can be found in some Japanese markets but can be hard to find in stores or areas that don’t have Japanese markets. But don’t worry – you can make it yourself! Yumi uses Just One Cookbook’s method/recipe, using lima beans and 50% by weight of sugar.

Shiratamako can be found in Japanese markets as well as online in some places, but if it is hard for you to find, mochiko can work in a pinch. It may just take longer to cook and have a slightly different texture.

Cooking down the nerikiri takes practice. Start making drier nerikiri until you get used to working with it, then slowly add moisture for a more pleasant texture.

Use gel or powder food coloring instead of liquid food coloring to make sure that the color doesn’t significantly change the texture of the nerikiri.

Nerikiri can be stored in the fridge for a few days after making, but tastes best when fresh. The nerikiri dough can be frozen, but is not recommended.

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