Limited Time Only: Japanese Sweets Fair at 7-11

7-11 is embracing Japanese sweets this summer with special, limited edition offerings as part of its 和スイーツフェア--Japanese Sweets Fair.  If you are in the mood to try something different or just love Japanese confectionary, you should try out one of the many options.  Here are the three that are available right now in 7-11 stores throughout the country:

A traditional dessert in Japan especially common in the late spring/early summer is Mitarashi Dango, a rice dumpling covered in a sweet soy glaze.  7-11 takes this traditional dessert, inverts it and sweetens it.  Instead of a mochi ball being covered in a sweet mitarashi sauce, the sweetened mochi is used as a wrapper for fresh cream with the mitarashi sauce in the middle.  If you like sweet and salty flavors, this is a great option for you!

 

Roasted green tea, or Hōjicha, is a popular drink this time of year, and seasonal favorites will incorporate the flavor of this earthy tea.  The Hōjicha infuses the tea flavor in a whipped cream that is wrapped in sweet mochi and dusted in chocolate.  Hidden in the middle of it all is a brown sugar syrup.

[One note on Warabi mochi: the flour is not as thick or doughy as traditional mochi, which give the dessert a much softer, gelatinous consistency.  This is why you see the treat offered in a paper cup (see cover photo and pic below).  Be sure to eat it with a spoon or chopstick rather than trying to eat it with your fingers unless you are looking for quite a mess on your hands! ]

The Matcha Warabi Mochi was my selection for today.  Like the Hōjicha warabi mochi, the cream and mochi is infused with tea flavor, though this was dusted with matcha powder instead of something a bit sweeter.  Even the brown sugar syrup in the middle was not overly sweet, which made this a pleasant palate-cleansing dessert after an otherwise heavy lunch.

...if you are in Japan this rainy season and are in the mood for a sweet treat with some more traditional Japanese flavors and consistencies, I say zehi, give the 7-11 Sweets Fair a shot!