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Last February, we had the opportunity to combine our loves for Japanese food and ice cream when Häagen-Dazs released a line of ice cream topped by mochi rice cakes and flavored like traditional Japanese confectionaries. We got our hands on one flavor and were blown away by how amazing it tasted, and so was the rest of Japan.

Before long, the supplies of both flavors of mochi ice cream were exhausted, and the freezer sections of convenience stores and supermarkets across Japan has always looked a little lonelier in their absence. Now, though, Häagen-Dazs has announced that its kinako kuromitsu and mitarashi kurumi mochi ice creams, featuring roasted soybean flour, black sugar syrup, sweet soy glaze, and walnuts, are making a triumphant return.

Let’s take a look at the classic seasonings that make these two special, starting with the kinako kuromitsu. Kinako is a powder made from roasted soy flour, which looks and tastes a bit like a mild sweet cinnamon. After mixing kinako with milky ice cream, Häagen-Dazs tops the cream with a slab of mochi, then sprinkles on more kinako and drizzles kuromitsu, a brown sugar-based syrup, across the whole thing.

▼ It’s been about eight months since we tried the kinako kuromitsu mochi ice cream, and we are so ready for seconds.

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But not only do we get a second encounter with the kinako kuromitsu, the return of Häagen-Dazs mochi ice cream means we’ll get to try the mitarashi kurumi flavor for the first time. With walnuts (kurumi in Japanese) mixed into the ice cream, it’s an appropriate choice for the cooler part of the year. Also crowned with a slice of mochi, the starring role in the mitarashi kuirumi ice cream’s flavor profile goes to its sweet soy glaze, called mitarashi, which is also commonly found brushed onto the traditional Japanese snack of mitarashi dango dumplings.

Häagen-Dazs’ kinako kuromitsu and mitarashi kurumi mochi ice creams will be in stores on December 8, putting them right up there with our annual visit from Santa as the things we’re most looking forward to this winter.

Source: Narinari
Top image: Häagen-Dazs (1, 2) (edited by RocketNews24)
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