Nama Chocolate – 70% Dark and Matcha | 生チョコレート

Given that Father’s day is around the corner (this weekend to be precise) in certain parts of the world, I thought a box of chocolate in 2 styles would work well as a treat. My dad loves chocolate and alcohol and thinking of that I felt there would be no gift more perfect than this. The only downside is that he is in Singapore and I am stuck here so… I’m going to have to settle for sending him virtual chocolates 😉 Because I do not have chocolate boxes lying around my house, I didn’t get a chance to pretty the photos up by placing these delicious bite size treats in fancy packaging, so I am munching on them straight from the plate. If you are not familiar with Nama chocolate (translated into raw chocolate), it was made popular by Royce confectionery in Japan along with Meiji Melty Kiss. The difference between the two is that the Royce brand is packaged as a “high end” refrigerated product whilst Meiji is your more commercial and shelf stable product that is firmer and remains so at room temperature. Before we continue on, I have to mention that I am not out to copy either product with this recipe because I can’t really remember how either taste having not had them in a long time. But what I am sharing here is a recipe that I enjoy eating as always.

2 styles

This recipe that I am sharing is in 2 styles – soft chewy and fudgey. With soft chewy vs fudgey, we are talking about the texture and style. Both recipes whilst similar create different results. The Dark Chocolate one has a firmer texture that stays more set and stable at room temperature with a nice dense fudgey bite, a little closer to the Meiji style (minus a chocolate shell which Meiji Melty Kiss has). Whereas the Matcha one has a lovely soft chewy texture that melts away in your mouth when consumed straight from the fridge, a little more similar to the Royce ones. Personally, I like the latter one better but my brother prefers the fudgey texture as it isn’t quite as soft 😉 I will provide some variations on both recipes for whichever you prefer. And of course, 2 flavours as you have probably guessed 🙂

Glucose

I promise that my aim with recipes is not to make you crowd your pantry with new products, but… glucose syrup does play a part in this. It helps with keeping that smooth slightly chewy texture. Many glucose syrup are derived from corn so as an alternative you can use corn syrup or honey but if you do decide to invest in glucose syrup, you can use it in my Matcha cookie recipe as well.

Getting the texture right

It’s a pretty simple balance to get the texture right with this recipe. More cream to chocolate ratio = softer consistency Lesser cream to chocolate ratio = firmer consistency  Please also refer to the notes on chocolate below and how it affects the consistency.

Choosing your chocolate

You’d probably think chocolate is pretty much chocolate and it all comes down to simply how sweet you’d like it to be. If it were simply an addition of chocolate bits to cookies like in chocolate chip cookies etc. you would be right. But because Nama chocolate is all about the consistency along with using chocolate as the base, different types of chocolate with it’s different cocoa percentages does affect the final outcome. Milk and white chocolate set softer than a 70%  dark chocolate. The higher the percentage the firmer it will set. A 90% chocolate bar will have more of a “snap” than a milk chocolate bar. Similarly, using good quality couverture chocolate is crucial as the supermarket brand chocolates tend to have stabilisers in them which will affect the texture. If you are after the next best thing at the supermarket, go for one that has less additives beyond cocoa, milk and chocolate when looking at the ingredient list on your chocolate bar. When a recipe calls for so few ingredients and isn’t treated in any intensive way, it is important to ensure the quality of the ingredients used for the recipe is of a quality that you would be happy to consume.

Butter?

You will notice a lot of other nama chocolate recipes call for the addition of butter. Leaving it out was a personal preference. A touch of unsalted butter does make the overall texture smoother with a glossy sheen to it, but I find that I like it similarly without any butter. You can add 15g of softened unsalted butter to your chocolate mixture after you’ve mixed your cream in if you’d like.

Products used:

70% Dark Chocolate White Chocolate

Other similar product

Bundle pack with 3 different flavors Glucose Syrup Matcha Powder I use ZenWonders Matcha which is small Australian business that imports Japanese matcha. As such, I have found an alternative on Amazon for you to have a look at too. I haven’t tried that particular brand but it reads well. 🙂

A few things to note:

• I wrap my baking tin with cling wrap to allow me to mould the chocolate to my liking once it is at a malleable consistency. If you have the right size mould, baking paper will make for sharper edges.
• When melting the chocolate, be sure not to over heat it as chocolate burns easily. I simply microwave the chocolate in 20 seconds blasts but you can melt it on the stove over a double boiler.
• Heating up the chocolate prior to adding the cream helps ensure that when you do add the warm cream it will blend together easier.
• I use 70% dark chocolate in the recipe and it makes a really dark and intense treat. If you are not into that deep intense chocolate flavour, perhaps go for a 54% dark chocolate or even a mix of dark and milk chocolate.
• When using matcha powder, please ensure that you are using the best culinary grade matcha powder that you can find. If you are willing to, you could spend the extra money on ceremonial grade for this recipe. With how simple this recipe is, along with the fact that it is not baked, the matcha has the opportunity to shine through.
• I use Callebaut white velvet chocolate for the white chocolate which is milkier and a touch less sweet compared to their usual white chocolate range. But regular white chocolate will work well.
• Ensure you use couverture chocolate for this. The stabilisers that you find in many supermarket brand chocolates will affect the texture.
• Glucose syrup can be replaced with corn syrup or in a pinch, honey.
• For non-alcoholic version simply replace the 15g of alcohol with 7g of additional cream
• I used Gin in the dark chocolate version and it imparts a really subtle floral scent to it. For a more alcohol flavour forward nama chocolate, you can try stronger flavoured alcohol like whisky or rum instead.
• I use thickened cream which is of 35% fat percentage
• You can set the chocolate in the fridge or freezer. The freezer means it will be firmer and easier to work with for the softer nama version so long as your knife is hot.
• Use a hot knife to ensure clean cuts. You can heat your knife up over a flame or soak it in hot water, wiping it down before every cut.
• Dust the sliced chocolate in the cocoa powder or matcha powder to ensure they do not stick to one another
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week and consume cold and straight from the fridge. The nama chocolate turns firmer and dries out as it sits in the fridge for an extended period, as such, I recommend consuming it within 2-3days for the best texture.

Nama Chocolate in 2 styles

Matcha Nama Chocolate – Soft and Chewy

What you’ll need

• 170g couverture white chocolate
• 10g matcha powder, good quality culinary grade
• 85g thickened/heavy cream (70g for meiji style firmer consistency)
• 8g glucose syrup
• Additional matcha power for dusting

Making it Prepare a 8″x4″ loaf tin with either cling wrap or baking paper. Heat cream and glucose in a small pot until it starts to simmer by forming bubbles along the edges but not boil. Melt your chocolate in a seperate bowl using a microwave by heating it in 20 seconds blast until fully melted or you can melt it on the stove top over a double boiler. Add matcha powder to the chocolate and stir until smooth. Add warm cream and stir until smooth. Pour into prepared tin, cover and set in fridge overnight or for a minimum of 3-4hrs. Alternatively you can set it in freezer until firm. Dust with matcha powder on the top and bottom of the chocolate and slice into cubes of preferred sizing using a hot knife ensuring to wipe down with a damp cloth between each cut for clean cuts. Package the chocolate up to your liking and store them in the fridge. Consume cold from the fridge. Recipe not for commercial use, I hope you would respect my wishes and drop me a message should you wish to use it commercially

70% Dark Chocolate and Gin

What you’ll need

• 170g couverture 70% dark chocolate (see note above on flavour profile)
• 75g thickened/heavy cream (95g for royce style softer consistency)
• 8g glucose syrup
• 15g Gin (1.5tbsp) (see note for replacement)
• Cocoa power for dusting

Making it Prepare a 8″x4″ loaf tin with either cling wrap or baking paper. Heat cream and glucose in a small pot until it starts to simmer by forming bubbles along the edges but not boil. Melt your chocolate in a seperate bowl using a microwave by heating it in 20 seconds blast until fully melted or you can melt it on the stove top over a double boiler. Add cream to the chocolate and stir until smooth. Add gin or your choice of alcohol to the mixture and stir until smooth. Pour into prepared tin, cover and set in fridge overnight or for a minimum of 3-4hrs. Alternatively you can set it in freezer until firm. Dust with cocoa powder on the top and bottom of the chocolate and slice into cubes of preferred sizing using a hot knife ensuring to wipe down with a damp cloth between each cut for clean cuts. Dust with more cocoa powder to prevent sticking. Package the chocolate up to your liking and store them in the fridge. Consume cold from the fridge. Recipe not for commercial use, I hope you would respect my wishes and drop me a message should you wish to use it commercially

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