Technically, ごま蒸し饅頭 (goma mushi manjuu) means Steamed Sesame Bun (as a friend told me), but I’m a firm believer that proper nouns, i.e., names, cannot be translated without losing some of their meaning. Since there is no sufficient translation already, I might as well make the English name suitable to describe the object instead of sticking to the literal translation. Hence, to distinguish these little buns from the gazillion of buns in the Far East, I shall call them “buttons”.
Flaky, multi-super-thin-layered dough. Semi-sweet black sesame paste. Adorable, in every sense of the word.
Here’s the label, for those who can read Japanese:
From Super H Mart, Houston, 12 buttons for $3.
Now those are a daifuku that is only ever good with tea. You need tea to make these good.
What kind of tea, Bob? I tried a Chinese green tea and a Chinese light oolong with a goma daifuku last week, and both of them made it bitter, so I’m stumped.
A light Japanese tea is what we would have with it. Genmai-cha, which you don’t like, is my go to for these things. But, a normal everyday Japanese green tea should pair up nicely.
I do like genmaicha! It took a second sip to like it, but I’ve long come to appreciate Japanese green tea. 😀
I adore anything with sesame seeds, so I’m definitely looking for this next time I stop in at my fave Japanese market. Yum!
Yeah, I’ve never had anything with sesame that I don’t like. Sesame ice cream is especially wonderful 😀