Kuzukiri Jelly Noodles in Fruit Juice by Ohara

If you love Japanese fruit jellies and mochis, but have only tried the konyaku or kanten types, there is another interesting type you should try - kuzukiri noodle jelly. It is a jelly made from powdered Japanese or Chinese arrowroot (Pueraria lobata), also called kuzu in Japanese. The root itself apparently has a host of health benefits, such as improving liver and heart health and reducing inflammation and headaches. 

Kuzukiri originated from Kyoto and was traditionally served in a similar way to warabi mochi - with kuromitsu and sometimes kinako or matcha powder. However, it can be served refreshingly like a jelly in fruit juice. This time, I try it in watermelon and mango flavours, from an Ishikawa brand called Ohara.

Overall, the texture of the kuzukiri noodles was very light and refreshing to the bite. It its bite was somewhat firm, like aiyu or kanten jelly, but it gave way to a very soft, light and watery middle once past the initial bite. It felt like something between an aiyu or kanten texture andd aloe vera texture, but smoother and softer. It was not stringy or bouncy at all unlike konyaku, very dry kanten or any type of mochi. (If you dilute kanten a lot, it might come close.) As such, it pairs especially well when served as a refreshing fruit juice dessert.

 

The mango flavour was pretty normal, like a standard mango juice drink with soft jelly. There were also a few cubes of what I thought were mango. They are probably the "mango syrup pickled" item on the ingredients list (image below for reference).

The watermelon flavour was a bit of a disappointment because it did not taste like watermelon's earthy melon flavour at all despite the colour. It tasted like a standard canned mixed fruit flavour. Nonetheless, if you did not tell me the flavour I would have loved it as a super refreshing mixed fruit drink with nice jelly that is pleasant to the bite.

Another good thing is that they used real watermelon juice and mango puree, as you can see in the ingredients list, and neither flavour was too sweet. (Click the photo to enlarge.)

From Ohara's online shop, they also have other flavours which were sold out at the store I was at, such as peach, yuzu lemon, plum and summer mikan (mandarin orange). They all sound very refreshing and I really would have loved to try them all!