Just letting you know, it tastes nothing like fish at all! This fish-shaped baked goodness is actually filled with anko (red bean paste). Anko is a paste made from adzuki, red beans grown in Japan, that have been cooked and mashed. It's known for being a sweet treat for street food vendors. The crazy thing is, taiyaki doesn't have to be filled with red bean paste! It could be chocolate, chestnut paste, or even cheese.
When I tried the matcha ice cream, I was surprising to enjoy it. I've tried matcha lattes from Starbucks before, but I've never really liked the flavor. This time, however, was a tad bit different! I thought, 'wow, I thought it would taste the same as a latte.' Turns out I was wrong; it tasted great!
Bonus: When I tried anko taiyaki, I was very pleased. It had a similar texture to a slightly crispy waffle, crispy enough but still soft and enjoyable. Once I bit into it, I tasted the red bean paste. The experience is a little bit like eating an Oreo. When you bite into an Oreo, you taste the white filling after the cocoa wafers. An Oreo is like anko taikyaki: each part is good by itself but together, they taste amazing.
There are many different ways to make matcha ice cream. I'll name one for today: the no-churn method. Like how we churn butter in the United States, commonly, matcha is also churned in Japan. However, with this no-churn method, some shops use matcha powder (fine matcha leaves that are grounded into small bits and pieces like sand). Trained employees sift the matcha powder, then whisk it with condensed milk.
