Fruits in sandwiches? I know, crazy right? But trust me when I tell you these are so light, fluffy and delicious; super addictive and definitely a must-try. If you’ve been to Japan then you know exactly what I’m talking about. They’re highly popular and commonly found in most of Japanese convenient stores, such as 7-11 and Family Mart. I’m not in Japan right now but this is one way to bring Japan to me!

There are 3 main components to this dish: The bread, fruit and cream.

1. The bread: Japanese milk bread is the way to go. They’re fluffier and a bit sweeter than your traditional sandwich loaves. Commonly found in Asian grocery stores. However, I know they can be hard to find outside of Japan, so use traditional white sandwich slices if it’s not readily available to you.
2. Fruit: most commonly eaten are strawberries, however, I’ve seen people use different fruits, such as kiwis and oranges! I don’t recommend you use hard/stone fruits like apples.
3. Cream: just you’re regular whipped cream that is slightly sweetened. There’s a higher emphasis on the taste of the strawberry and dairy, not so much on the sweetness.

Ingredients

2 slices of Japanese milk bread (use traditional white sandwiches if you can’t find)

9 strawberries, stems off

250 ml of heavy/thickened cream

1-2 tbsp sugar, adjust to taste

Vanilla extract, optional

Method

1. To make the whipped cream, combine the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. With an electric mixer, whisk until the cream is whipped (in-between a stiff and soft peak).
2. Place a large piece of plastic wrap onto your working surface and place 1 slice of bread onto the plastic wrap.
3. Spread a thick layer of whipped cream onto the bread, then arrange the 9 strawberries on top of the cream. Use more cream to fill in the gaps and close with the 2nd slice of bread.
4. Wrap the sandwich with the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Slice in half to expose the strawberries and serve.