Fruit Kingyoku

Ingredient	8 Servings	8 Servings
one or more kinds of fresh fruit	about 5 oz.	about 150g
agar powder	¾ tsp.	2g
water	1 cup	250 ml
sugar	¾ cup, heaping	50g

This kanten-based dessert is another form of anmitsudama, but is a little sweeter. It is also easier to make, since it only requires one pan. It is essentially a Japanese version of the American classic jello mold, with seaweed-based agar gelatin in place of jello.

Preparation

Wash, peel, pit, or otherwise prepare the fruit(s) you’ll be using as necessary, then cut into thin (about 1cm / half-inch thick) slices.

Directions

Prepare sweetened kanten.
Prepare a batch of kanten with sugar added: Add the agar powder to 250 ml (1 cup) room-temperature water in a small pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to keep the powder from settling to the bottom. Reduce heat and simmer for about 2 minutes, continuing to stir. After the powder has blended completely, add sugar and continue to heat and stir until sugar has blended completely.
Cool.
Remove the kanten mixture from heat and continue to stir gently until it has cooled slightly.
Assemble.
Wet the inside of an 8-inch square pan to prevent sticking, then pour a layer of the liquid about 5mm (one-quarter inch) deep. Arrange the fruit in a layer on the top of the kanten. Gently pour the remaining kanten liquid on top of the fruit, being careful not to make any bubbles.
Assemble.
Let the pan cool at room temperature until the kanten is relatively firm, then transfer to a refrigerator and chill. Prior to serving, cut into squares and serve chilled.

Notes

You can use any type and combination of fruit you like. Good choices are ones that look attractive sliced, like strawberries, bananas, kiwi, peaches, and oranges.
If you want to use kuromitsu syrup when serving it, you may want to reduce the amount of sugar by about half, to balance the sweetness.
This is one of a whole family of desserts involving various combinations of kanten, fruit, and anko.