Who knew that even sugar could get complicated!
There are a few typical japanese sugar types that will be extremely useful to you in getting an authentic taste. Surprisingly enough not every sugar has the same amount of sweetness! That’s why it is extremely important to know which type to choose for which recipe and how to substitute. The textures and tastes can also be very different, so look forward to exploring the 3 most important options: JOUHAKUTO, WASANBON and KOKUTO
JOUHAKUTO japanese soft white sugar
At first glance JOUHAKUTO might look similar to granulated sugar, but while granulated sugar is made of almost 100% sucrose, Jouhakuto has added fructose and glucose! That’s why it is not only sweeter than normal sugar it is also moist! It has a similar texture to kinetic sand and is traditionally used in all Japanese dishes and Wagashi. If you can not source it it is best to add a little bit of glucose (in addition to normal sugar) to your recipes, because it holds moisture better and keeps your wagashi sweets from drying out.
KOKUTO japanese black sugar
This type of sugar is basically sugar sirup before it gets refined in dried form. It can also be called Kurosato by the way. It has lots of natural minerals (even iron) and a very specific taste. It gets used quite a lot in traditional sweets and within the sugar category it is certainly the most healthy option. You can get it in big crystals or finely milled like you see here – it doesn’t really matter which one you get, because we will disolve it in a bit of water anyway. It might look similar to brown sugar, but the taste is actually way more intense and mineral rich. I hope you can try it out, because it is very delicious and very japanese!
WASANBON
This is a very finely milled sugar from the island of Shikoku in Japan. And the name has no good translation in English unfortunately. It is quite expensive and is mainly used in so called “Hoshi-Gashi” where sugar gets coloured and pressed into wooden molds. If you plan to make ultraorthodox tea ceremony sweets you definitely need this type of sugar, but as a casual chef you probably won’t need it in your collection. I still wanted to add it here, because I was always wondering how Hoshi-Gashi were made. Now you know as well 🙂
I hope you learned something new. If you just get started I would definitely make sure to get Jouhakuto sugar! It will make a surprisingly big difference in how your recipes will taste! Have fun 🙂
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