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How to make an awesome Japanese summer dessert using only things you can buy at Daiso【SoraKitchen】

Casey Baseel Aug 27, 2020
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Summer sweets for cheap.

Recently, we looked at a mouthwatering traditional Japanese breakfast that was put together entirely with thing bought from 7-Eleven. That’s a meal prep life hack we’ve been fans of for some time, but it’s not like we get everything we eat at the convenience store…sometimes we put together awesome Japanese desserts with stuff from Daiso!

Our most recent trip to the 100 yen store chain was prompted by a tip from a reader, who informed us that right now Daiso is selling shaved ice makers. They’re part of the chain’s premium line, but even priced at 500 yen (US$4.70) they’re still incredibly affordable, and every other item we’ll be using today cost just 100 yen each.

Of course, no one wants to eat plain shaved ice, so Daiso also has a selection of shaved ice syrups, in flavors like strawberry and lemon.

Daiso’s shaved ice maker is hand-operated and compact, but plenty big enough to make yourself a generously-sized bowl of the frozen treat. All you have to do is toss some ice in the top and crank the handle.

▼ And yeah, we got the bowl and saucer at Daiso too.

Now you could just squirt the syrup directly onto the shaved ice, but instead we picked up one of Daiso’s classy-looking long-handled spoons so we could drizzle it elegantly onto the ice instead.

And there you go – a refreshing treat on a hot summer day, courtesy of a quick and budget-friendly Daiso run.

There were, however, two problems, though neither is Daiso’s fault. First despite the smile on the face of our taste tester for this assignment, Go Hatori, his favorite shaved ice flavor isn’t strawberry, but green tea. Second, Go is a licensed chef, and while there’s nothing wrong with a simple dessert, he wanted to flex his culinary muscles a little more by adding some extra toppings.

Daiso also sells flour for shiratama (mochi dumplings), which are easy to make by mixing them with water, rolling them up, and flash-frying them in a pan, so that was the first part of making Go’s second dessert for the day.

For some extra sweetness, Go grabbed a few packs of anko (sweet red bean paste).

Unfortunately, Daiso doesn’t sell pre-made green tea-flavor shaved ice syrup. However, they do have green tea powder, so mixing that with a small amount of water gave Go a syrup substitute.

And for the finishing touch, some condensed cream, followed by a final splash of a little extra green tea syrup.

Ahh, now that’s a dessert fit for a king, or at least a SoraNews24 reporter with an unabashed sweet tooth!

So, how did it taste?

Amazing, with everything we need in a summer dessert, and since we’ve still got plenty of ingredients left over, and plenty of hot weather left until fall, Go’s Daiso shaved ice maker is going to be getting as much use as his microwave potato chip maker.

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[ Read in Japanese ]