May 2020 Newsletter

We are lucky that we were able to provide a small run of special orders of our handmade daifuku in March, as all the market and special events we had lined up between March to May were cancelled due to COVID.

We were thrilled with the response from our customers and we hope everyone enjoyed! We donated some of the revenue to Buy Them a Coffee - MELB, which shouts our frontline healthcare workers a coffee. 

We're looking for other ways to support so please stay tuned - we may do another special order run soon!

Nerikiri: ANZAC Day Poppy Flower
To remember those brave men and women, for they went to war and battled on, through the darkest nights and the longest days, through muddy grounds you go, you marched on and looked behind, and you saw the poppies grow.
We will wear one on this day.

Wagashi is all about capturing the moment, being mindful of the environment and climate. Especially now we remember those who have sacrificed their lives for our freedoms. MinnieSweets has also proudly contributed to the RSL ANZAC Appeal. Please support this worthy cause!

We are so grateful to be a part of growing the love of wagashi right here in Melbourne! 💕💪🏻 DengonNet, a Japanese newspaper based in Melbourne, has written a wonderful piece about wagashi in their March 2020 edition. If you’d like to find out more about the history of this often overlooked part of Japanese cuisine, this is essential reading!
Thank you to the @dengon_net team for great articles✨ 

Minnie was thrilled to be interviewed on live ABC radio on David Astle's Evenings segment on 20 March. 

While she was nervous, it was a wonderful 10 minutes covering our background, sweets philosophy and all things wagashi!

We would love to share it with you but the audio is no longer available :( but we'll be sure to record it and share the media in the next opportunity!

With the lockdown we are learning new things including developing video content! As now know, we've been doing IG Live sessions, but we're also making other short videos of wagashi making, recipes and recordings of our live sessions. Minnie is levelling up our digital game! ;)

We'd love for you to check it out and give us any feedback on what you'd like to see on this channel. 

Mochi Ice Cream

Special thanks to @lemoninlemonsorbet to make amazing Matcha sorbet!
——
Tools:

- Metal spoon (keep in a bowl of water to wet)

9.5cm & 3.5cm round cookie cutter (if you have)

- Rolling pin
- Brush
- Ice-cream scoop
- Freezer proof container
 

Recipe:  Makes x4 Mochi Ice-cream

Ingredients

For the gyuhi (a different kind of mochi) dough:
- 40g glutinous rice flour
- 80g sugar - 80ml water
For dusting:
- Potato starch or corn starch
Filling:
- Your choice of ice-cream!
 

Method:
Preparation: Sprinkle the potato starch on the tray.
1. Combine the three ingredients and mix well with spoon
2. Put it into the microwave and heat for 60 seconds. Our microwave is 1000w.
3. Use the wet spoon and stir well.
4. Put it back into the microwave, heat for 30 seconds.
5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 at least three times until glossy.
6. Use the wet spoon to put gyuhi dough onto the tray of potato starch.
7. Dust gyuhi with potato starch and then gently roll out to around ~2mm thick
8. Leave until cool.
10. Cut with a cookie cutter both large and small sizes.
11. Remove excess potato starch with brush.
 

Wrapping:
1. Scoop the ice-cream about a table spoon size, then put on the middle of gyuhi wrapper. Careful not to put too much ice cream!
2. Gently wrap the mochi skin upwards towards the centre, make sure cover the ice-cream and layerings with wrapper.
3. Use finger to wet the small round wrapper, then stick to the centre where you’ve closed the larger wrapper.
4. Quickly put into a container, then freeze for 2 hours.
You can make double the amount, however you will need to microwave for a bit longer.
You can freeze the gyuhi wrapper if you don’t use them, for up to 2 months.

Mitarashi Dango

Recipe: Makes 5 skewers
[Ingredients]
Sauce:
- 80ml Light Soy Sauce
- 30ml Mirin(*1) - 120g White Sugar
- 210ml Water (*2)
- 20g Potato/Corn Starch 

Dango:

- 100g Rice flour
- 80g Glutinous rice flour
- 150ml Hot water
——
Preparation:
Sock the bamboo skewers in the water ( at least an hour)
Pour water in the deeper pan bring to boil.
Plenty of cold water in the large bowl.
(*1) If you don’t have Mirin, add 10g of sugar.
(*2) Soak Konbu piece in the water at leat 40mins, then remove Konbu. .
—
Method:
Sauce -
1. Press all ingredients for sauce into the pan, then combine well with a wooden spoon.
2. Cook it on the stove until bring it boil.
3. Reduce the heat into low, and keep stirring until get thick.
4. Remove the heat.
Dango -
1. Press the all ingredients for Dango into the large bowl.
2. Combine well with fingers then put dough together.
3. Knead the dough until smooth and soft.
4. Divide dough into two, roll out to 2cm x 30cm
5. Cut 2cm each, then make a ball with hand.
6. Press Dango balls into the boiling water, cook 5~6mins.
7. Transfer dango into the cold water to make it cool. Then take them out from water.
8. Stick dango in a wet bamboo skewer ( 5 balls in per skewer )
9. Spray the oil on the barbecue net, press it on the cook top and turn the heat.
10. Press the dango skewers on the hot barbecue net, cook until nicely brown.
11. Remove from heat, put sauce on the dango with spoon or brush.
Serve immediately.
[How to store]
- Sauce: in the fridge up to 2 weeks
- Dango: room temperature, consume on the day —————
Enjoy making at home!