Anmitsu is a Japanese dessert bowl made of sweet red bean paste and small jelly cubes, called anko and mitsumame respectively. The jelly is made from seaweed agar, and the dish is often served with fruit and a sugar syrup called mitsu. Variants include different types of jelly and bean paste, and sometimes ice cream.
Anmitsu is a traditional Japanese dessert bowl of sweet red bean paste and small cubes of jelly, with peas and assorted fruit. In Japanese, these two ingredients are called anko and mitsumame, respectively. Their combination, as well as the contraction of their two names, is the popular dish called anmitsu. Their pair’s first record dates back to 1930, shortly after Japan successfully processed the gelling agent called seaweed agar on an industrial scale.
The red coral algae in question is Gelidium amansii, sometimes commonly called Ceylon moss or Japanese isinglass. The Japanese call it tengusa, or “heavenly grass”. The seaweed is boiled to separate its slimy coating; and the liquid is then dried and ground into a powder. This is the world’s largest source of gelatin agar, used as a medium for culturing laboratory bacteria and as the main ingredient in creams and other gelatinous desserts.
When dried translucent agar sheets called kanten became readily available in markets, they quickly gained popularity in street corner teashops that offered confections such as sweet bread and anmitsu. Compared to other gelling agents, it is distinguished by having a relatively high melting point. This means that it will keep its jelly form at room temperature.
Agar is typically rehydrated, melted and incorporated with fruit juices under heat. It is then left to cool and solidify in a mould. For mitsumame, pieces of seasonal fruit and boiled peas or beans are added to cut cubes of the hardened gelatin. Also, dango, a ball of glutinous rice pounded to a soft bubblegum texture is often added. The assembled bowl is topped with a clear or lightly caramelized sugar syrup called mitsu just before eating.
Red beans cooked in syrup and mashed into a paste are added. The bean, Vigna angularis, is called azuki in Japanese. If the sugared beans have been coarsely chopped, the resulting paste is called anko. Anmitsu holds a scoop of this in the center of the bowl. As it mixes with a syrupy finish, the dish becomes something of a thick jelly-fruit soup.
There are several very common variants of anmitsu. Jelly cubes can be made with any variety of sweet juices or even coffee. Sweet bean pastes are also prepared from black beans and white lima beans. Mamekan uses unmashed whole red beans and omits the fruit. Instead of the extra sweetening syrup, a scoop of ice cream alongside red bean paste is also a popular alternative.
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