3 Types of Monaka Rice Wafer Snacks
When you think of traditional Japanese confections or Wagashi with sweet red bean paste “Anko (餡子)“, what comes to your mind first?
As for me, what pops into my head right away are “Manju (饅頭)“, “Daifuku (大福)“, “Dorayaki (どら焼き)“, “Yokan (羊羹), and “Monaka (最中)”.
As the above green links show, I posted articles about Manju, Daifuku, Dorayaki, and Yokan before. And today, I will talk about the rest, Monaka.
Types of Monaka
Basically, Monaka consists of Anko paste sandwiched in between 2 crisp rice wafers, but the filling varies, and various ingredients can be used.
Based on the filling, Monaka can be divided into 3 types, among which Wagashi Monaka is the most common.
Wagashi Monaka
As mentioned above, Wagashi Monaka is made from Anko sandwiched in between 2 thin crisp rice wafers, sometimes accompanied by ingredients such as Mochi or simmered chestnuts.
Monaka Ice Cream
The second type is Monaka ice cream. It consists of 2 crisp rice wafers filled with ice cream, typically vanilla or matcha flavor, and sometimes a thin chocolate bar is embedded in the middle.
Monaka in Japanese Cuisine
The last is Monaka used in Japanese cuisine. Unlike the above 2, the filling isn’t limited to sweet things.
In general, this type consists of 2 thin crisp rice wafers filled with ingredients for a dish, whose representative examples include Monaka Suimono and Kaichu Shiruko.
