Sweets
Ude Manju
Ude Manju — wheat dumplings boiled rather than steamed, plain or bean-filled
A bun boiled rather than steamed, its name a slurring of yude manju, boiled bun. Wheat-farming areas like Tokorozawa savored the aroma of new-harvest wheat, making it as an offering for Obon and the equinox.
- Origin: Saitama Tokorozawa
Lineage
What it's made of
This bun is finished by boiling in plenty of water rather than steaming. The texture turns out chewier than a steamed bun, and the fragrance of freshly milled wheat pairs with the sweetness of the bean paste inside for a simple, homely taste, the fresh-boiled bun sliding down smoothly.
How it's made
Wheat flour is mixed with boiling water and stirred quickly, then kneaded well, with wet hands, until it reaches an earlobe-like softness. It is divided and rolled into balls, rolled flat to wrap bean paste if used, then boiled in plenty of water while stirring to keep the buns from sticking, and rinsed in cold water once they float, to remove any sliminess, with a hardened bun sometimes grilled to freshen it up.
Why it took this shape
In a dry-field farming area centered on wheat, the bun is said to have been made with freshly milled, especially fragrant wheat sown in late autumn and harvested by early summer. Boiling rather than steaming is said to be a distinctive method passed down as part of the region's wheat-based food culture, and the bun is also said to have served as an offering during the Obon festival.
Before you go
- How to shop in a depachika (department store food hall)A guide to browsing prepared foods and bento, choosing wagashi as a gift with a good shelf life, sampling etiquette, end-of-day discounts, asking for cold packs and wrapping, and finding your way around a depachika floor.
- Osechi and zoni for the New YearA guide to the meaning behind osechi's tiered boxes, the regional differences in zoni (square vs. round mochi, clear vs. miso broth), and the nanakusa-gayu custom.
- Setsubun: ehomaki and lucky beansA guide to ehomaki, the uncut sushi roll said to be eaten facing a lucky direction on Setsubun, and to mamemaki, the bean-throwing custom with roasted lucky beans.
Dishes in the same style
- Abekawa MochiFresh-pounded rice cake is dusted in soybean flour mixed with sugar. Named for the Abe River, it's said to have been famous among Tokaido travelers as a teahouse specialty and to appear in the travel novel Tokaidochu Hizakurige.
- Iga ManjuSweet bean paste is wrapped in rice flour dough, then coated with dyed sticky rice grains. One account ties the name to the grains' resemblance to a chestnut's spiny husk, and in the western Mikawa region it's said to be offered to Hina dolls at the Doll Festival.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Also from Saitama
- Sakekasu Miso RamenA winter-only ramen from Ageo City, where sake lees from a long-running local brewery are worked into a Chinese restaurant's miso broth. The lees' depth and aroma layer over the miso's savoriness, leaving a mellow finish that warms the body in the cold months.
- Dojo NiPond loach caught in the paddies of eastern Saitama, simmered sweet and savory with shaved burdock, from a land fed by the Arakawa and Tone rivers. Rich in nutrients, it was valued as a tonic and a food for pregnant women.
- Gyoda Furai"Furai" from around Gyoda, Saitama, despite its name, isn't fried — it's grilled. Chopped scallion and pork go on a wheat-flour batter cooked on a griddle, an okonomiyaki-like snack said to have caught on with the women working the town's tabi-sock factories.
- Higashimatsuyama YakitoriPork cheek grilled over charcoal and brushed with a spicy miso sauce.
- HiyajiruSesame and miso ground in a mortar, mixed with summer vegetables like cucumber and shiso, then chilled with cold water. It serves as a dipping broth for udon in noodle-loving Saitama, and Kawajima town calls it suttate.
- Iga ManjuA sweet bean bun wrapped in red rice and steamed, said to originate in Konosu. Named for its resemblance to a spiky chestnut burr, it balances a sweet-salty flavor with a chewy bite.