Monaka

What is Monaka?

Monaka

Monaka (モナカ) is a type of Japanese confectionery consisting of a “skin” made mainly of glutinous rice and filled with red bean paste or other ingredients. It is one of the traditional Japanese confections and is classified as a “half-dry confectionery / sami-baked sweets”.

“An” (The filling) is made from azuki beans, such as “koshi-an (strained red bean paste)” or “tsubu-an (red bean paste with grains remaining)”.

There are also various other types of “An” such as “Uguisu an”, “shiro-an”, and “sakura-an”, and in addition to red bean paste, some contain chopped chestnuts, whole chestnuts, or gyuhi (a type of rice flour).

In addition, specialty monaka with the outer skin shaped like a castle, cherry blossom petals, trains, and various other shapes are sold in many places, and many of them have become famous regional confections, local sweets, or store specialties.

There are “monaka ice cream or ice monaka),” a type of monaka with vanilla ice cream or azuki ice cream sandwiched between the skin of the monaka (or ice cream inside the monaka), and there are also “monaka” filled with chocolate, etc.

Gyuhi-filled monaka

Cherry blossom shaped monaka

castle-shaped monaka

Yagiri no watashi monaka

Milk monaka

seppuku monaka