RECIPE: Okinawa Kokuto Mushipan (Black Sugar Steamed Muffins)

A common dessert item in school lunches in Okinawa, these steamed muffins capture all of the nostalgic flavors of chinbin, including the sweet licorice notes of kokuto. These delightfully bouncy muffins come together quickly thanks to packaged chinbin mix and a microwave cooking option!

Servings: ~17 muffins

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 150ml (⅔ cup) milk
• 70g (⅓ cup) sugar
• 1 bag (350g) of Okinawan Crepe "Chinbin" Mix
• 100g (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter (melted)

Instructions:

1. Crack 4 eggs into a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add milk and sugar and whisk to fully dissolve the sugar into the liquids.
2. Add chinbin mix and whisk until there are no lumps in the batter.
3. Add melted butter and mix until smooth. 
4. Pour about a ⅙ cup (50g) of batter into each steaming cup or muffin liner (we recommend tinfoil or silicon liners).
5. Arrange the muffin cups in a steamer and steam for about 15 mins. To steam muffins in a microwave, place the batter into microwave-safe containers, cover with a wet paper towel, and heat for about 1 mins at 500W. For best results, only cook one muffin at a time in the microwave