Pumpkin Purin is a Japanese-Western fusion dessert that combines Western-style custard pudding (called “Purin” in Japanese) with Japanese kabocha squash, a widely popular sweet pumpkin variety. While its exact origins are unknown, it has long been a staple at Western-style confectionery shops and bakeries in Japan, eventually becoming established as a beloved dessert that’s also popular to make at home.
Purin (プリン) is a popular Japanese custard dessert that is similar to pudding or flan. The texture is light, soft and silky, and it’s almost like jello. In the past, we have made baked Purin that is more traditional and no-bake Vanilla Purin that is easier to make with gelatin. In this recipe, we made Matcha Purin (抹茶プリン) by replacing the vanilla in our Vanilla Purin with matcha green tea powder. Grassy and slightly bitter matcha goes very well with sweet custard. Instead of caramel sauce, a matcha flavored simple syrup is used. You can also add whipped cream on top if you like.
With summer so hot everywhere these days, you feel like eating more cold food than ever. Japanese people know how to deal with brutal summer climate and therefore know how to cool down with food. These are some of the best summer Japanese dishes that are nice and cold, and you can eat them when you don’t have much appetite from the draining heat.
Vanilla Purin (バニラプリン) is a cold custard dessert in Japan. The name Purin comes from the word pudding, but it is not the same thing as the gooey pudding in the US at all. This custard pudding has more the feel of a jelly dish because of its gelatin content. It is a very basic sweet but everyone in Japan adores it. It is a great alternative dessert to ice cream in summer.
Mango Purin (pudding) is a mango-flavored cold jellied dessert, now quite popular in Japan. It is called Purin (or pudding), though it often doesn’t use eggs, and it’s not baked or steamed. It is made of gelatin and chilled. It has a creamy taste from milk and cream, and that may be the reason it’s called “pudding.” It is originally from Hong Kong, and it became popular enough to spread all over the world. Mango Purin is often seen at Chinese restaurants in the US, but not very common anywhere else. However, Mango Purin is more well known in Japan, and you can buy it at a lot of cake shops and other stores like supermarkets and convenience stores.
There are a lot of western (mostly French) cake shops everywhere in Japan. Some cake shops sell more delicate and sophisticated concoctions, and others simpler, everyday snack types. Wherever you go, though, you will definitely find Purin (プリン) in most shops in Japan. There are often millions of new cakes and other desserts to choose from there, but people always come back to something they ate in childhood. Purin is exactly like that. It is a comfort dessert for Japanese people.