Daifuku

Every time I stop by the Asian market near my apartment to pick up a $1.49 bag of edamame, I always walk by these curious little cake like items, called daifuku, stored in the refrigerator section. Finally, last weekend, as I went to get some more edamame (really, I don't eat it THAT often), I decided now was the time to try one. However, the first question was: which one do I pick? The one covered in sesame seeds? The pink one? The green one? The white one with evident beans poking through the surface? After comparing the ingredients to see if there was a difference (no), I went with the green, because when all else fails, always go with the color found in nature.

Daifuku (meaning "great luck") is a Japanese confection consisting of glutionous rice cake (mochi) stuffed with a sweet filling - in my case, sweetened red bean paste made from azuki beans. Glutionous rice cake? Beans? Yes, doesn't sound much like a confection to me either, at least in the American sense. But it is oddly good. Not as sweet as American confections typically are, but oddly satisfying - I wasn't running for the vanilla cookies afterward. I just may try the sesame seed kind this weekend.