Master of his trade
Popular Japanese sweet wagashi is cholesterol-free and low in fat
Even in the art of sweet-making, there is room for masculine appeal as shown by Noaya Koizumi, a master confectioner .
EVEN in the art of sweet making, there is room for masculine appeal as shown by Noaya Koizumi, a master confectioner brought in by the Japanese Foundation of Kuala Lumpur.
Here to conduct lectures and demonstrations on the art of Japanese sweets known as wagashi, Koizumi, wowed workshop participants at Kampachi Restaurant in Pavilion by flipping over dorayaki pancakes with his bare hands.
“It is faster when you use your fingers,” said Koizumi, showing off the thick skin of his digit tips.
After much prodding, Koizumi, revealed that the ability to withstand the blistering heat was also a signal to peers that one was no longer a beginner. In Koizumi’s case, it took him one year to perfect this “stunt”.
Representing Koundo Co. Ltd, a wagashi house in Ashikaga situated in the Tochigi Prefecture, Koizumi with two other master confectioners in Noriyuki Myojin from Hiroshima and Keisuke Yoshihashi from Ishikawa, are on an Asian tour to promote wagashi making.
Their last stop was in Thailand before heading to Malaysia. They come with recommendations from the Japan Wagashi Association in Tokyo.
On a serious note, wagashi making is strictly reserved for the artistic perfectionist.
Dorayaki pancakes for example have to be identical in size and no batter dribbles are allowed on the hot plate as it is deemed unsightly.
The Japanese, says Koizumi, are very particular about food presentation and will avoid a stall if the discs were misshapen.
Backaches and vision difficulties are also hazards of the job. According to Myojin, who specialises in hasamikiku (a type of wagashi that resembles the petals of chrysanthemums), it is not uncommon for apprentices to hunch over the fine details.
Now bespectacled, Myojin revealed that if a master needed at least 30 minutes for a baseball-sized hasamikiku, an apprentice will naturally need to spend more time and eye-power in the beginning.
To wagashi makers however, these are small sacrifices.
“It is all about artistic expression,” said the trio through an interpreter.
“Wagashi is an ancient art and can come in any shape — flowers, fruits, vegetables, animals — and even in symbolic form like the rising sun on the seashore or the full moon in the night sky. It all depends on the confectioner’s signature,” they added.
There is the plain uchigashi, a dead ringer to the Malaysian kuih bangkit.
According to Yoshihashi, whose father is the owner and master confectioner of Yoshihashi Kashijo, an established wagashi maker in Kanazawa, it almost went out of fashion until a designer engineered their revival three years ago.
What makes them stand out is the presence of wasanbon, a type of ivory-shaded sugar unique to Shikoku that sells for no less than RM110 per kilo.
“The detail of the sweet is entirely dependent on the wooden mold, which is also another artistic spin off resulting from wagashi craft. These are usually treasured family keepsakes and the more intricate the detail, the more valuable. As uchigashi is traditionally served during a tea ceremony, it explains the plainness as not to distract attention from the focus of a tea ceremony,” says Yoshihashi.
Though notorious for its sweetness, wagashi is entirely made from plant-based ingredients like rice, sweet potatoes, beans, nuts and seaweed.
A source from the Japan Times quotes Mitsuo Yabu, the executive director of the Japan Wagashi Association, as saying that with exceptions, wagashi is not only cholesterol free but low-fat as well.
“The main reason for the sweetness is to balance the bitterness of green tea, the usual accompaniment to wagashi,” explained Yoshihashi.
Still, sweet tooths should bear in mind the Japanese phrase, hodohodoni which means everything in moderation.
In Malaysia, the wagashi movement is still new and most dessert offerings in Japanese restaurants stick to fresh fruits, green tea and black sesame ice-cream.
On whether wagashi will one day gain widespread local popularity, one observer said that there was no lack of talent considering the proliferation of fancy chocolatiers and sugar works specialists.
The only remaining question was the marketing how-to, he concluded.