Mizu Yokan (Japanese Sweet)

1. Gather all the ingredients.
2. In a small saucepan, pour 1 ½ cup water and add 1 package (4 g) powdered kanten. Whisk well and bring to a boil.
3. Once boiling, lower the heat and let powdered kanten dissolve completely, about 2 minutes.
4. Add red bean paste and dissolve the paste with a silicone spatula.
5. Once red bean paste has completely dissolved, add salt and remove from the heat to let it cool a bit, about 2-3 minutes.
6. Pour mixture into the pan until the bottom of the Nagashikan (or similar size mold) is covered, about ¼ inch thickness. Then let it cool at room temperature until the mixture is solidified, about 10 minutes (time varies depending on the temperature of your kitchen).
7. Once solidified, put the chestnuts on top with equal spacing from each other.
8. Pour the rest of mixture over so that it will cover the chestnuts. Let it cool on the counter for about 15 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator until it has completely chilled, about 2 hours.
9. Run a knife around the edge of nagashikan and lift the inner removable tray.
10. Cut into 3 rectangular shapes and then slice each rectangular piece into ½ to 1 inch thickness. Serve chilled. If it can't be consumed at once, keep it in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Recipe Notes

• Prepping time does not include time spent for chilling Mizu Yokan.
• Sweetness of red bean paste varies depending on homemade or store-bought brands. Therefore, please adjust your Mizu Yokan with additional sugar.

Equipment you will need:

• A nagashikan (6 x 5 x 2 inch or 15 x 13.5 x 4.5 cm) (or similar size mold). If you do not use Nagashikan, you might want to use a plastic wrap for easy removal out of the mold later on.