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Japanese · Asakusa

Neri Ame Starch Candy Pulling Asakusa Street Food

Neri ame ('kneaded candy') is one of Japan's oldest confections—a pulled taffy-like candy made from mizuame (liquid rice starch syrup) that is sold by street vendors at traditional festivals and Asakusa temple grounds. The vendor provides small bamboo sticks and a dollop of amber-colored liquid mizuame that begins as a translucent honey-thick syrup. The buyer is instructed to 'neri' (knead/pull) the candy between the two sticks by repeatedly stretching and folding—within a few minutes of working, the candy turns from amber to pearl-white through air incorporation as the continuous folding creates millions of tiny air bubbles that refract light. This transformation—from translucent amber to opaque white—is the visual magic of neri ame, with the customer being the performer. The texture also changes from elastic and sticky to a lighter, silkier consistency as air is incorporated. The activity is as much entertainment as confection. Mizuame production: glutinous rice or sweet potato starch is converted to sugar through malting (using rice malt) in a process that predates modern sugar production by centuries. Neri ame is the entry point for understanding the significance of mizuame as Japan's historical sweetening agent before cane sugar became widely available.

ServesTwo portions (one vendor serving per person)
Total10 minutes active pulling; no cooking required at point of service
Sourced0of 3 in BC
Cook
I

The Market List

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200 g
mizuame (liquid rice starch syrup)
amber, honey-thick consistency; produced from glutinous rice or sweet potato starch converted via rice malt
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
4
bamboo sticks
sturdy gauge; two per portion; warm briefly before use
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For flavoured versions (optional)
1 tsp
kinako or matcha powder
food-grade; folded into mizuame before serving
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
II

The Method

1
Dispense a generous dollop of mizuame — roughly 100 g per portion — onto each pair of bamboo sticks, one stick beneath and one above, anchoring the syrup between them. The candy at this stage is translucent amber, honey-thick, and elastic. Confirm it yields slowly to gentle pressure without snapping: it is at working temperature.
2
Begin pulling: stretch the mizuame away from the body between the two sticks, then fold it back over itself in a continuous figure-eight motion. Linear stretching alone is insufficient — the figure-eight path distributes air evenly through the mass. Maintain a steady, sustained rhythm. This is where the dish lives or dies: pulling too quickly without full extension loses air incorporation; allowing the candy to cool before sufficient pulling has occurred causes it to stiffen and become brittle rather than silky. The sticks must be robust enough to absorb the repeated tension without flexing.
3
Continue pulling for 5 to 7 minutes of sustained effort. Observe the colour: the candy transitions progressively from translucent amber toward an opaque, pearl white as millions of fine air bubbles form within the mass, refracting light. The transformation is complete when the candy is fully opaque and white throughout — no amber translucency should remain.
4
Assess texture throughout the pull. The finished candy should feel markedly lighter and silkier against the sticks than at the outset, having shed its initial elastic stickiness. If resistance remains heavy and the surface still pulls with a dense, sticky drag, continue working. The correct final texture is airy and smooth.
5
Wind the finished white candy around the sticks and consume directly. The mild maltose sweetness and subtle caramel depth of the mizuame are now carried in a lighter, silkier body than the original syrup. If a flavoured version is prepared, kinako or matcha was incorporated into the mizuame before dispensing.
From the canon — Kinako (きな粉, literally 'yellow flour') is roasted soybean flour — soybeans dry-roasted until golden and fragrant, then ground to a fine powder. Kinako — Roasted Soybean Flour →
III

Quality Hierarchy

01
Reserve — Mizuame produced by traditional rice-malt conversion of glutinous rice starch, aged to deep amber; dispensed at proper working temperature by an experienced street vendor on Asakusa temple grounds.
02
Estate — Artisan-produced mizuame from glutinous rice or sweet potato starch using rice-malt saccharification; stout hand-turned bamboo sticks of appropriate gauge.
03
Market — Commercial mizuame of reliable viscosity and neutral sweetness; standard bamboo sticks sufficiently robust for sustained pulling.
04
House — Commercially available glucose-based starch syrup used as substitute; pulling achieves whitening but flavour lacks the characteristic maltose and subtle caramel depth of true mizuame.
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Touch. Candy yields slowly to gentle pressure without snapping — it is at working temperature and ready to pull.
◇Sight. Full transition from translucent amber to opaque pearl-white confirms sufficient air has been incorporated.
◇Touch. Finished candy feels lighter and silkier against the sticks, without heavy elastic stickiness — pulling is complete.
◇Sound. A soft, consistent resistance during the pull — no sharp snap or brittle break — confirms the candy remains above the temperature threshold for safe working.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dish lives or dies in the sustained figure-eight pull: insufficient extension, too rapid a pace, or candy allowed to cool before full opacity is achieved produces brittle or dense candy rather than the pearl-white, silky confection that is the purpose of neri ame.
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VI

What to Pour

The pairing
Nikka From The Barrel
Nikka Whisky — Miyagikyo Distillery · Miyagikyo — Nikka Distillery
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Whisky
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The whole pairing
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