Karukan from Japan

These were Karukan from Japan.

I came back to the US with them! They are one of my most favorite Japanese sweets. I have tried to create them by myself in the US with ingredients in hand, which were actually pretty close to these real ones. Karukan, a steamed cake made with rice powder, sugar and a long mountain yam, or Taroimo, filled with sweetened red bean paste, is a traditional sweet in Southern Japan "Kyushu" region. The place where my parents live and I stay at when I go back to Japan is not in Kyushu, so it's not easy for me to get these precious sweets even when I am in Japan. Last year when I was in Japan, I was lucky to eat some. And when I went to a local department store during my latest visit to Japan, it was the exact day the department store sold limited number of Karukan. Only on the day in the month. Again, I was so lucky! My life must be meant to Karukan.

Karukan is fresh sweets; they don't last long. I brought back five of them from Japan. I ate all within two days after I came back. J bit one a bit. He was so kind of letting me eat as much as possible because they were my favorite. Or, He simply didn't care much for such Japanese sweets that are chewy and usually filled with sweetened red beans. Either way, I was very happy with stuffing my mouth with real Karukan.