Kohakutou — Japanese Wagashi sweets
Ingredients
- 2g agar agar powder (kanten powder)
- 150g white sugar
- 150g water
- 1 tbsp syrup which you like (monin syrup, maple syrup, mint alcoholic liqueur, etc….)
Instructions
- 1. Have a container ready (high temperature proof) and syrup on the side as well.
- 2. In a cooking pot, add water and agar powder. Melt the powder over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Heat and stir until the agar powder melts completely. It usually takes about 1 to 2 mins.
- 3. Add the sugar. Melt the sugar, stirring constantly to prevent burning with a spatula. It will be very foamy and bubbly. Keep on stirring for about 5 mins.
- 4. Remove from the heat and immediately pour into the container. Quickly add 1 tbsp syrup (not more) of your choice (or a tiny amount of food coloring, using tooth picks.) Mix well.
- 5. Chill in the fridge until it has set. It should be firm enough to cut.
- 6. Remove from the fridge and cut into small pieces (about 2 to 3 cm dices) and place them on a baking sheet. You can also coat the pieces with sugar to make them sweeter.
- 7. Let the candies sit there for 2 to 3 days (it may even take up to 5 days, as it depends on so many factors : climate, season,...). Eventually their surface should dry out completely. The candies will be crystallized with a jewelry finish. They are crunchy outside, but inside texture is like jelly.
- You can keep your “kohakutou” in an airtight container for about 2 weeks.
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Please tell me were I can order some of these candies please?
Hi Faith,
I only give the recipe for making them here, I don’t sell the candies themselves on the website.
Actually they are quite traditional japanese candies so am not sure we can find them outside Japan.
Hi! I was wondering if I could put these in a turned off oven to dry instead of on the counter? I don’t them to get in the way or for ants to get to them.
Thank you!
Hi Jen,
Not sure if humidity would escape from a turned off oven. I havent really tried that.
Here’s what I do : I put a glass at each corner of the tray and then I lay a gauze kitchen towel over it. Hopefully jamming the towel/cloth below the tray on each side will protect from intruders…
Look on Etsy, their are sellers on there
For how long can i keep a freshly made kohakutou? Because I was planning on making them for an event weeks beforehand and I am worried they might spoil quickly.
Dear Angelica, you may keep them at room temperature for about 2 weeks. You could also extend this by keeping them in the fridge.
Hope you like them!
Hi, how did you color your candy? Can they be more see through, like glass?
Dear Alba, for colouring I use off-the-shelf food colourings, monin syrups or grenadine.
When making them, they will take this mat aspect because of the sugar cristallisation process.
However you can simply cut them to reveal a more see-through looks.
Enjoy!
Yasuko
thank you!
Hi, I was wondering what brand agar agar you used. Was it telephone brand? Or a different Japanese variant? Thanks!
Hi, I don’t use a particular brand so I think the one from your local store will do just fine. As we now live away from Japan I definitely try to manage without Japanese imports.
Hello,
I was wondering if it’s possible to use citric acid for a more of a sour flavor? And if so, when would be the best time to add it?
Hi Diana,
Oh that’s a very good idea. You want to make sort of sour drops? To be honest I never tried. Hope it turns out well!
I use a tablespoon of fresh lime or lemon juice, and it tastes very good. Double the quantity for a bit more pucker.
Hi! I’ve actually tried using citric acid, kool aid, and other flavored powders for this. I usually add in the desired amount I want (depending on how much you want it to taste like the flavoring you want) after the sugar has dissolved. This makes it easier to know that all of the sugar is dissolved because most flavored powders are colored.
Hello, I used a malaysian jelly powder hoping it would work but it did not set at all its been in the fridge for more than overnight :(
Hi! I think you really have to stick to agar agar, it is not exactly equivalent to jelly powder :-)
Ohhh! That’s where I went wrong.. so only use AGAR AGAR? I thought agar agar was the same as normal jelly powder. Thank you for your help :)
I used jelly powder and it solidified. But i used a little more than the suggested agar agar.
Also, when cooking the agar agar, do you have to bring the water to a boil?
You’re welcome, yes indeed we bring it a boil. I’ll try to fix a video soon!
That would be awesome!! Thank you so much Panda. I’m going to try the actual agar agar powder today. I just bought the Thai one.
does it work if my jelly powder was made from stabiliser?
Hello, you will need agar agar to make kohakuto… :)
Hello, I was just wondering what brand agar agar agar powder did you use and can I get the Japanese brand somewhere online?
Thank you. :)
Hi Ann – I think getting the japanese one online delivered to you might be an excessive hassle. Better try and find some from a Malaysia selling place then. When I google i come across these https://www.jayagrocer.com/product?variant_id=23662. I don’t know Malaysian online retail but surely there must be trustworthy ones.
Hey Ann, I have just finished the video for this recipe. Feel free to look it up on the kohakuto post itself or on https://youtu.be/dwtWbARQ954
Hope it helps!
how many candies does this make? (on average)
Dear Alex,
Thanks for visiting!
I usually fill up a small (well a standard french size) jam jar with these quantities.
Hi! I just tried this recipe a few days ago, I’m not sure if it’s because of the climate but I’ve had my little jellies out for almost 3 days now and it’s no where near the crystallization process. Is there something I can do to hopefully speed up the process???
Hi Sachi,
Let’s see, I think even when we lived in Hong Kong (i.e. humid climate) we’d already have some level of dryness after 3 days…
So I feel if it’s still sticky maybe something went wrong. Do you want to try and boil it a bit longer?
Also I recently added the video to this recipe. Do you want to take a look?
Let me know! Hope you can make it!
Thank you! I think I’ll try it again and maybe use a little less water.
Hi! I made a original version and it was a success! I find it a bit too sweet tho. Do you think it is possible to replace water and syrup with juices to balance the sweetness?
It’s a good idea. Actually on the sweet side I use water with syrup, and at the other end of the spectrum I use coffee for a more fancy approach. Hope it works well, let me know!
So today I used a bottle of Suntory grapefruit juice 200ml, sugar 200g and agar powder 2.5g. Unfortunately the jelly didn’t set and turned into a pastel like paste. I think the reason is the acidity of the juice. The flavor of the pastel is quite good but I think it would be even better with 1-2 tsp of lemon juice. Will try again!
Can we put sprinkles inside the jelly before it sets?
Interesting, I never tried but it should be OK. Now one thing I can think of : Dont add them while the mixture is hot as it might alter the color of your sprinkles. Try to add them when it is at room temperature but obviously still liquid ;-) Enjoy!
I was wondering if I wanted to send these in the mail will they melt?
I don’t think they would melt. But because they are fragile and you don’t want them to get crushed, they would need a kind of hard case. Having said that I have never tried so I wouldn’t send them too far/long either :-)
Okay, thank you for answering me so quickly!!! :)
Can I use a substitute for the agar agar?
Unfortunately not. You need agar agar I am afraid…
How long should be be in the fridge for?
And if they’re not setting should I try putting them in the freezer to speed up the reprocess?
Hi – it’s got the agar agar in, so it should really set eventually. Actually it can even set at room temperature. As an example in my fridge it takes usually 2 to 3 hours.
Hope it works out!
Is it possible to let the candies sit for 2-3 days in a fridge instead of room temperature? I used fruit juice when making mine and they would get spoilt if I leave it out.
The idea behind leaving them outside is to let them dry. That’s not going to happen inside the fridge… Maybe you can use a less perishable syrup?
My candies havent crystalized yet and its been 2 days. Did i do something wrong? I’m where its humid so is that why?
Hmmm I used to live in HK, where it is quite humid, and even there the surface would probably start to dry up on day 2… Did you use less sugar?
Hey So can i take out the sugar and add jsut some vanilla extract since my grandma isnt into sweet things
I am afraid since this is supposed to be a candy I am not sure about avoiding sugar…
Can I use tea instead of plain water?
Yes, definitely you can
will the kohakuto dry faster if i put it in the fridge?
To dry up, it should be left outside.
Is there a substitute I can use for the sugar? I want to make this for someone I know but they are diabetic.
Sorry I don’t think this can be done… Kohakutou is a kind of sugar candy.
It can. I used monkfruit sugar and swerve sugar to make some for my mom whose keto!
Great :)
Hi, I was wondering what can be added to the recipe that will flavour the kohakutou, and if something was added can I still use food colouring as well?
Yes you can definitely flavour it. I can suggest coffee https://youtu.be/H3jN4EV1iZ8 or green tea https://youtu.be/rge1dCMS_A4 or probably any syrup you like. You can still add colouring but I suppose it will mix with the color you just added.
Hi, these are so pretty! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Just wondering, what is the syrup for here? Is it more for flavouring, or it is essential to get the texture?
I was wondering if I can make it just with agar, sugar, and water (without syrup).
Hi! Indeed the syrup is only here for flavor and color (i also do kohakuto using coffee, tea or green tea). So you can skip it alright. Enjoy making!
I just made the recipe last night and was wondering if I should be turning them over to let the underside dry out or just leave them in one place the whole time. Thank you.
Once the top side of the candy is dried up, please turn them around. And repeat to achieve an even dry texture.
Hi, can I use xantham gum as a substitute for agar agar??
Hello, you will need agar agar not xantham gum for this canday :)
May i use jelly powder for this?
I am afraid, jelly powder is a bit different so it won’t turn into kohakuto.
Hey, so I’ve tried this a couple times and instead of using water in the beginning I added juice and it ended up half setting and melting when left out. Tips?
I am sorry I am not too sure sure. I have tried syrup not juice…