Naturally Sweet Desserts by Aveline Kushi

Desserts are served much more commonly in the West than in the East. In Japan, our daily diet of whole grains and vegetables provided a naturally sweet taste. We rarely had special dishes prepared with concentrated sweeteners. Ordinarily we would finish the meal with tea and pickles. Occasionally we ate fruit between meals. We usually consumed it in whole form and always in season.

When I grew up, we used unrefined black sugarcane. White sugarcane was expensive and never eaten at home. Mother would buy white sugar as a gift to the doctor or for other special occasions. I remember that very often for daily cooking she would send me to the grocery store to buy barley malt or rice syrup. During the war sugar was not available. Right afterwards, I noticed that under government rationing, each family received a big basketful of sugar. Thanks to American influence, people started cooking Western-style desserts and began incorporating sugar into their cooking much more than before. At George Ohsawa's dormitory near Tokyo, I was introduced to apple pie. They made it with all natural ingredients at Christmas and for birthdays, and it was very delicious. In the U.S., I learned from my students how to make pies, cakes, puddings, cookies, and other desserts. My students made them by the methods their mothers used but with whole wheat flour and natural thickeners and sweeteners instead of white flour, dairy products, and sugar. In exchange, I taught them traditional sweet dishes using kanten, chestnuts, azuki beans, and amasake.

As much as possible, we try to satisfy a sweet taste in daily cooking. Naturally sweet vegetables may be served often, including winter-season squashes, carrots, parsnips, rutabagas, and onions. Adding a pinch of sea salt to vegetables during cooking makes them ever sweeter. Long-time nishime-style boiling and baking also make foods richer and sweeter to the taste. Thorough chewing of each mouthful also make foods sweeter, especially brown rice and other grains. When food is properly chewed, an enzyme in the saliva begins to turn the starch into sugar in a similar way to the fermentation of malt.

A craving for sweets and snacks is often an indication that we are eating too few whole grains and vegetables or that our food is too salty or strongly seasoned. Animal food consumption and overeating in general will also make one eat and drink sweet foods and beverages in an attempt to create balance and compensate for overstimulation.

In preparing desserts, I do not use eggs, dairy foods, chocolate, carob, honey, refined sweeteners, tropical spices, or baking powder. Nor do I use tofu, which becomes too weakening when combined with sweets and served cold. For baking, I use sesame oil whenever its taste will not conflict with the other ingredients. For a lighter, crispier taste unrefined corn oil is often more satisfactory. Kuzu or arrowroot flour thicken nicely instead of cornstarch or egg whites. For garnish or a slight spicy taste, I use a little grated fresh ginger root.

Kanten

Kanten is a delicious all-natural gelatin made with fruit, beans, nuts, or seeds dissolved in a sea vegetable gel made from agar-agar. Any seasonal fruit, such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, melons, peaches, pears, and apples, may be used. Azuki beans and raisins make an excellent combination. A few nuts or seeds may also be added for variety and a crunchier dessert. When mixed with vegetables or soup stock, agar-agar makes a vegetable aspic.

Agar-agar is available in bars, flakes, or powder. I am always careful to read the directions on the package since the amount used varies with the batch.

2 cups spring water 2 cups apple juice Pinch of sea salt 1 bar or 6 tablespoons agar-agar (follow package instructions) 3 medium-sized apples, sliced and cored

In a pot, bring liquids and salt to a boil, gradually stirring in the agar-agar until it dissolves. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add apple slices the last 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour mixture into a large dish or into several small molds; refrigerate until jelled. Kanten is usually ready to serve in 45 to 60 minutes.

Amasake Pudding

Amasake is a sweet, creamy beverage made from fermented sweet rice. It can be made at home or purchased in the natural foods store and is customarily drunk as a beverage or used as a sweetener in a wide variety of dishes.

1 quart amasake 6 tablespoons kuzu 1 lemon slice for garnish A few celery or parsley leaves for garnish

Place amasake and kuzu diluted in a little water in a pot. Stir and slowly bring to a boil. Continue to stir constantly to avoid lumping and burning. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, remove from heat, and pour into a serving dish. Smooth the amasake and garnish with a slice of lemon and a few fresh green leaves in the center of the dish. Allow to set before serving. If enough kuzu is used to thicken the amasake, it will harden and can be cut into squashes.

Variation: For a different pudding, raisins, apples, pears, peaches, strawberries, and other sliced fresh fruit may be cooked with the amasake before adding the kuzu. Squash puree or chestnut puree also goes well in this dessert.