Crispy on the outside and filled with sweet red bean paste on the inside, Imagawayaki is a popular street snack in Japan.

Snacks come and go, but some are so sweetly good, they are enjoyed generation after generation like Imagawayaki (????). A Japanese snack or dessert with sweet red bean paste filling encased on the inside, Imagawayaki is one of the popular wagashi (???) that?s been around for over 300 years.

Watch How To Make Imagawayaki (Obanyaki)

Crispy on the outside and filled with red bean paste or custard cream on the inside, Imagawayaki is a popular street snack in Japan.

What’s Imagawayaki (or Obanyaki)"
Imagawayaki (????) is like a stuffed pancake. The batter is poured into a special cast-iron round grilled pan and grilled until crispy on the outside, and filled with sweet red bean paste. You might know this dessert by Obanyaki (????).  Depending on the region of Japan, these treats go by different names. The name Imagawayaki is used in Kanto region (Tokyo area) while Obanyaki is used in the Kansai region (Osaka and Kyoto area).
Imagawayaki was named after the Imagawa Bridge, which is close to where the dessert was first sold in late 1700’s during Edo period, way before Taiyaki was invented back in 1900’s. Obanyaki was named as the shape of this dessert resembles Oban (an old Japanese coin used at the time).
You might think Imagawayaki is similar to Dorayaki and Taiyaki because they are all filled with sweet red bean paste but the tex...