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Silky-smoothNamaChocolate with fresh cream simply melts in your mouth. Rich, moist, and decadent, these sweets are a very popular gift item from Japan. With my copycat recipe of the famous ROYCE‘ chocolate, you can easily make this special treat at home.
If you are a frequent visitor to Japan, you probably have heard of or tasted this Japanese chocolate called Nama Chocolate(生チョコレート). You can’t really avoid it at the airport gift shops. They come in fancy packaging that makes them a popular gift item to bring home from Japan.
Nama Chocolate is rich, smooth, and moist, with a silky texture that literally melts in your mouth. The good news is you don’t have to fly to Japan to enjoy the luxurious sweet. With this recipe, you can make your chocolate dream come true today!
Table of Contents
- What is Nama Chocolate?
- What Does Nama in “Nama Chocolate” Mean?
- History of Nama Chocolate
- Tips for Making Nama Chocolate
- 1. Use Good Chocolate
- 2. Use Heavy Cream
- 3. Dry and Clean Utensils
- Green Tea Matcha Nama Chocolate
- Other Delicious Chocolate Recipes
What is Nama Chocolate?
Nama Chocolateis aform of ganache, similar to the filling inside French truffles. It’s made of fresh cream and chocolate, cut into little cubes, and dusted with fine cocoa powder.
We can only call it “Nama Chocolate” when it contains at least 40% chocolate and 10% cream by weight, and no more than 10% water.
Nama Chocolate is much easier to prepare than truffles because the chocolate is poured into a square pan, chilled until firm, then cut into mini squares. No messy hands since there’s no rolling required.
What Does Namain “Nama Chocolate” Mean?
Nama (生, pronounce [na-ma]) means raw or freshin Japanese. The name “Nama” Chocolate refers to the plentiful use of rich, fresh cream in the chocolate.
Because of the fresh cream, we must refrigerate Nama Chocolate at all times and enjoy them within 4 days of making them. You can also keep in the freezer for up to a month.
If you’re planning to give Nama Chocolate as a gift, make sure to let the gift receiver know to consume soon.
History of Nama Chocolate
In 1988, the owner and chef Masakazu Kobayashi at the sweet shopSils Mariacreated a new type of chocolate, and henamed this chocolateNama Chocolate and Nama Choco (生チョコ) for short.
In 1993, Meiji, a snack company, released a chocolate productcalledMeltykiss (メルティーキッス) which was produced and supervised by chef Kobayashi. You can purchase a box of Meltykiss at Asian supermarkets, convenience stores, and train kiosks in Japan. This chocolate is knownfor its limited-time offering during the winter months as the chocolatemelts quicklyduring the rest ofthe seasons.
Since then, majorconfectionery manufacturers started to sell Nama Chocolate, and it became a huge trend all over the country.
In 1996, Hokkaido-based ROYCE’ (ロイズ) released ROYCE’ Nama Chocolate. Many of you probably spotted this chocolate at the airports or gift shops at sightseeing spots in Japan. Due to their popularity, this Nama Chocolate is known to visitors who have been to Japan.
Although “Nama Chocolate” was invented in Japan in the late ’80s, this specific type of chocolate called“Pave de Geneva” was born in Geneva, Switzerland in 1930s. Pave de Geneva is made of chocolate and fresh cream and cut into small cubes smeared with cocoa, just like Nama Chocolate.
I’m not sure whether the Japanese chef had traveled to Geneva and knew of Pave de Geneva, or he figured out the Nama Chocolate formula on his own. Regardless, this is not an original Japanese product as it existed in Switzerland.
If you’re a Genevan who tried both Pave de Geneva and Nama Chocolate, please share your thoughts in the comment below. Are they similar or exactly the same?
Tips for Making Nama Chocolate
1. Use Good Chocolate
High-quality chocolate is mandatory since that’s the most important ingredient for making delicious Nama Chocolate. Make sure the chocolate is made of 100% cocoa butter and does not include vegetable fat in the ingredient list.
2. Use Heavy Cream
American heavy cream or heavy whipping cream (they are the same thing) has a 36-38% fat content. The ratio of heavy (whipping) cream (gram/ml) and chocolate (gram) should be 1:2. For this recipe, please do not replace chocolate with white chocolate (which I used inGreen Tea Chocolate).
3. Dry and Clean Utensils
Make sure the bowls and utensils you are using are perfectly dry. Even a small amount of water/steam can “seize” the chocolate melting process. It can happen all of the sudden from a smooth bowl of liquid chocolate to a lumpy, grainy mass of chocolate.
Green Tea Matcha Nama Chocolate
Here’s a Green Tea Matcha version!
Other Delicious Chocolate Recipes
These chocolate goodies are perfect for special occasions or as a hostess gift during the holiday season. I hope you enjoy making this NamaChocolaterecipe!
- Frozen Chocolate Banana
- Chocolate Covered Strawberries
- Chocolate Almond Toffee
- Chocolate Chiffon Cake
- Matcha Gateau au Chocolat
- Chocolate Chip Cookies with Nutella
- Valentine’s Day Chocolate Recipes
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Nama Chocolate
4.91 from 31 votes
Silky-smooth Nama Chocolate with fresh cream simply melts in your mouth. Rich, moist, and decadent, these sweets are a very popular gift item from Japan. With my copycat recipe of the famous ROYCE‘ chocolate, you can easily make this special treat at home.
Print RecipePin Recipe
Video
Prep Time: 15 minutes mins
Cook Time: 15 minutes mins
Chilling Time: 4 hours hrs
Total Time: 30 minutes mins
Servings: 36 perfect squares + uneven squares
Ingredients
- 14 oz good-quality dark chocolate (70% cacao) (use semisweet chocolate if you prefer a less bitter taste)
- 200 ml heavy (whipping) cream (¾ cup + 4 tsp; 36% milkfat)
- 1 Tbsp liqueur of your choice (optional, to taste; I use brandy)
- Dutch-process cocoa powder (to coat the chocolate; you can buy it on Amazon)
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
Instructions
Before You Start…
Please note that this recipe requires a chilling time of 4 hours. Also, read the Notes section at the end of this recipe card for important tips to successfully make this Nama Chocolate.
Gather all the ingredients.
To Prepare the Nama Chocolate
With a sharp knife, chop 14 oz good-quality dark chocolate (70% cacao) into smaller pieces so that they will melt faster and more evenly.
Line an 8- x 8-inch (20- x 20-cm) baking dish with parchment paper. Tip: To make the chocolate the correct height, it‘s important to choose a dish or tray that‘s the right size; if you use a bigger tray, the chocolate will be flatter.
Add 200 ml heavy (whipping) cream (¾ cup + 4 tsp) into a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat the cream to ALMOST a boil. Whisk lightly to evenly distributethe heat. Keep an eye on the cream to make sure it doesn‘t boil. Tip: Overheating the cream may cause the chocolate to separate in the next step (see Notes below for more information).
When you see small bubbles form around the edges of the saucepan, remove it from the heat.
Next, add the chocolate pieces into the cream and stir with a silicone spatula to combine. Tip: Make sure your utensil is completely dry; introducing even a tiny amount of water or steam may cause the melted chocolate to seize (see Notes below for more details).
Mix until the chocolate is melted and there are no more lumps. The chocolate and cream mixture should be completely smooth.
If you‘d like, add 1 Tbsp liqueur of your choice (optional), and stir to incorporate.
Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and smooth the surface with the siliconespatula.
Tap the baking dish onto the counter a few times to make sure the chocolate is evenly distributed. Refrigerate until firm, about 4–5 hours.
To Cut the Chocolate
After chilling for 4–5 hours, remove the chocolate with its parchment paper from the baking dish. Peel away the parchment paper from the sides.
With a sharp knife, cut off the stray pieces of excess chocolate around the four sides to make sharp corners and edges.
Warm up the knife with ahot towel. Then, cut the chocolate slab into 1-inch (2.5-cm) strips. Make sure to clean and warm the knife before each cut to achieve a nice sharp cut.
If your baking dish has curved edges and corners like mine, the edge strips may not be the ideal shape for cutting into neat chocolate cubes. If that‘s the case, cut off and save these chocolate pieces for yourself to enjoy.
Next, cut the strips into cubes.Remember to clean and warm up the knife before each cut.
Using a sugar duster or fine-mesh sieve, sprinkle the cubes on top with Dutch-process cocoa powder. Optionally, if you prefer the powder to completely cover the chocolate, you can dip each piece in the cocoa powder to coat all sides.
To Serve
Keep the Nama Chocolate refrigerated. Serve it on a plate, or put it in a box as a gift. I recommend letting the chilled and firm chocolate sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes before serving so it‘s soft enough to melt in your mouth.
To Store
Keep in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to a month.
Notes
IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ BEFORE MAKING!
- Separation (when oil comes out of the chocolate) happens when you get the chocolate too hot. Never heat dark chocolate above 120ºF (49ºC) and never heat milk chocolate and white chocolate above 110ºF (43ºC). When chocolate gets too hot, the cocoa butter separates from the solids, and there is no way to salvage it (although you can bake with it and it tastes fine). The best way to prevent separation is to stir the mixture frequently. Since we’re not using a double boiler in this recipe, make sure you do not bring the mixture to a full boil. Remove from the heat as soon as you see bubbles around the edges of the saucepan.
- Seizing happens when moisture is introduced to melted chocolate, even a tiny amount of liquid or steam. When this happens, a smooth bowl of liquid chocolate can suddenly become a lumpy, grainy mass. To prevent this, make sure the bowls and utensils that you are using are perfectly dry.
- To learn more details and how to fix overheated or seized chocolate, please read here.
- The ratio of heavy whipping cream and chocolate should be 1:2. Please do not replace the chocolate with white chocolate for this recipe. The ratio is not the same.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Nama Chocolate
Amount per Serving
Calories
17
% Daily Value*
Fat
2
g
3
%
Saturated Fat
1
g
6
%
Cholesterol
7
mg
2
%
Sodium
2
mg
%
Potassium
4
mg
%
Carbohydrates
1
g
%
Sugar
1
g
1
%
Protein
1
g
2
%
Vitamin A
73
IU
1
%
Vitamin C
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
3
mg
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Author: Namiko Chen
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: chocolate
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Editor’s Note:The post was originally published on February 6, 2012. The content has been updated.
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