Häagen-Dazs Japan releases mochi rice cake covered ice cream with green edamame soybean topping

Two new ice creams feature soybeans as their star ingredient this summer. 

Häagen-Dazs has been creating some awesome Japan-exclusive varieties over the years, featuring flavours like hojicha roasted green tea and cherry blossom, but one of their most innovative releases of all time has been their mochi-covered ice cream series, which first appeared on the market in 2015.

Since then, the mochi ice creams have been re-appearing sporadically over the years, with a variety of star ingredients taking centre stage for the luxury dessert brand, including delights like walnut and mitarashi sweet soy sauce glaze and black sesame syrup.

Now, the hugely popular series is back to delight us all yet again, and this time the staple flavour of kinako soybean powder and kuromitsu (brown sugar syrup) — which appeared in 2015 and 2017 — is being given an all-new revamp for its 2019 iteration.

Not only is the design different, but the blend is too, with both black and yellow soybeans now being used to create a new style of roasted kinako that’s more aromatic and well-rounded. This new mix is said to enhance the toasted soybean flavour, both in the topping and inside the ice cream.

Joining the kinako and kuromitsu mochi ice cream this year is a variety based on another beloved soybean-based Japanese dessert: Zunda Mochi. This sweet is particularly famous as a local specialty of Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, but its appeal spreads far and wide throughout the country.

▼ Say hello to the brand new Häagen-Dazs Zunda Mochi Ice Cream.

Zunda mochi contains mochi sticky rice cake at its base, and is topped with a fresh green mound of mashed, slightly sweetened edamame soybeans. Häagen-Dazs’ new ice cream is faithful to the original Japanese sweet, with a chunky edamame paste sitting on top of a layer of mochi, but beneath it all will be a smooth, luxurious ice cream that’s also been blended with edamame soybeans.

Häagen-Dazs says the combination of creamy milk and edamame makes for a unique and impressive taste sensation, and we can’t wait to try it for ourselves when it’s released on 17 September. The new ice creams will retail for 295 yen (US$2.79) plus tax at stores around the country.

Source, images: Häagen-Dazs press release
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