Aojiru Steamed Cake (Boko to Deko Version)
蒸しパン青汁ボコとデコver. · Aojiru Mushipan
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Mushipan is a soft, fluffy Japanese steamed cake, and it is one of the most familiar snacks in preschool kitchens because it needs just a few pantry ingredients and no oven. This version stirs aojiru, a powdered green juice made from kale, into the batter, giving the cakes a cheerful green color and a gentle vegetable boost that hides comfortably behind the mild sweetness. The batter is shaken together in a plastic bag, so there is very little washing up, and children love watching the cups puff up under the lid. Here the aojiru is the packet-style 'Boko to Deko' product, but any kale green juice powder works.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 30 gflour
- 4.5 gaojiru green juice powder (kale)A Japanese powdered green drink made from kale, mixed into batters or drinks for extra vegetables. Substitute: Kale powder or spinach powder.
- 33 gmilk
Seasonings
- 1.8 gbaking powder
- 9 gsugar
- 6 gvegetable oil
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- aojiru green juice powder (kale) (青汁（ケール）)
- A Japanese powdered green drink made from kale, mixed into batters or drinks for extra vegetables. Substitute: Kale powder or spinach powder.
Directions
- 1
Put the flour, baking powder, sugar, and aojiru powder in a plastic bag, trap some air inside, and close it. Shake it well to sift the dry ingredients together until there are no lumps (or put everything in a bowl and whisk thoroughly until lump-free).
- 2
Add the milk and vegetable oil and mix briefly, just until no dry flour remains (overmixing will keep the cakes from rising, so stop as soon as everything is combined).
- 3
Pour the batter into the cups.
- 4
Pour hot water into a frying pan to a depth of about 2 cm and bring it to a boil. Arrange the cups in the pan, cover with a lid, and steam over high heat for about 13 minutes.
- 5
When the cakes are done, lift off the lid carefully so the condensation on it does not drip onto the cakes.
For a child aged 3 or older, the amount of aojiru works out to one packet of 'Boko to Deko'. Wrapping the lid in a cloth while steaming can sometimes keep the cakes from rising properly, so I steam them with the lid uncovered.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 228 kcal | 456 kcal | 228 kcal |
| Protein | 4.2 g | 8.4 g | 4.2 g |
| Fat | 7.8 g | 15.6 g | 7.8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 37.1 g | 74.1 g | 37.1 g |
| Fiber | 2 g | 3.9 g | 2 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.3 g | 0.6 g | 0.3 g |
| Calcium | 139.5 mg | 279 mg | 139.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.3 mg | 0.6 mg | 0.3 mg |
| Potassium | 256.5 mg | 513 mg | 256.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 228 kcal | 4.2 g | 7.8 g | 37.1 g | 2 g | 0.3 g | 139.5 mg | 0.3 mg | 256.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 456 kcal | 8.4 g | 15.6 g | 74.1 g | 3.9 g | 0.6 g | 279 mg | 0.6 mg | 513 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
