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.
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?
Nama Chocolate is a form 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 Nama in “Nama Chocolate” Mean?
Nama (生, pronounce [na-ma]) means raw or fresh in 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 shop Sils Maria created a new type of chocolate, and he named this chocolate Nama Chocolate and Nama Choco (生チョコ) for short.
In 1993, Meiji, a snack company, released a chocolate product called Meltykiss (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 known for its limited-time offering during the winter months as the chocolate melts quickly during the rest of the seasons.
Since then, major confectionery 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 in Green 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 Nama Chocolate recipe!
- 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
Video
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)
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 distribute the 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 silicone spatula.
- 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 a hot 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
- 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
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on February 6, 2012. The content has been updated.
Hi I’m wondering what kind of high quality chocolate you would recommend using for this recipe. I was thinking Hershey’s or Meiji but I’m not sure if that’s considered high quality..
Hi Trina! As long as it doesn’t contain vegetable fat in ingredients, you can use it. The one I use in this recipe is from Scharffen Berger: http://www.scharffenberger.com/
Oh my goodness this looks delicious and so easy! If I wanted to try and use semi sweet chocolate chips (it’s what I have on hand haha) would it still work as long as it melts well? Thank you for the wonderful recipe! 😀
Hi Stacey! Yeah I am pretty positive that it works too – I remember I’ve used it once… 🙂 Let me know how it goes!
Perfect! I may try it for Valentine’s day for my husband. <3 Thank you.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I can’t wait to try it. Can you tell me how much liquor to use, I don’t see an amount anywhere. I’m sorry if I missed it.
Hi Christine! Alcohol in chocolate is really up to your preference. My kids don’t like it so I don’t usually put in the chocolate. Start with 1 Tbsp. to see if you like the amount? 🙂
In my country we dont have Heavy cream orr Heavy Whipping cream we just have Whipping. I try to use whipping cream but it didnt right. So can you tell me what i can replace Heavy cream in this recipe? Thankyou
Hi Huyen! Whipping cream is different from heavy / double cream. You will need heavy cream for this recipe. I googled and found this link. Hope this helps?
http://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=311215
How much liqueur should I add into a batch of the recipe?
Hi Doreen! 2 tsp. to 1 Tbsp.? It’s up to you and you can adjust. 🙂
Do you have a recipe for pork soup dumplings? And can you give me an exact recipe for the nama chocolate for an 8×8 pan? Meaning 1 cup of cream to how much chocolate. And how much liquor if I want to add? I LOVE your recipes and have made several. The gudon being my favorite. Thank you!
Hi Kim! Xiao Long Bao is very hard and time consuming and I most likely won’t make it…. it’s just one of those things that you need to put your whole energy to it….
This is one of my favorite Chinese food blogs: http://thewoksoflife.com/2014/09/steamed-shanghai-soup-dumplings-xiaolongbao/
I use 8 x 8 pan and the recipe is in the post. 🙂 Liquor – 2 tsp. to 1 Tbsp, but it’s up to you. 🙂
Thank you for trying my recipes! I’m so happy to hear you like gyudon recipe!
I made these today, as I am addicted to Royce! Lol, I usually get the milk chocolate one but this recipe is for dark chocolate which I also love. I used Cadbury chocolate 70% and they turned out delicious! Mine don’t look as good as yours Nami but they taste almost as good as the real thing! Gonna try milk chocolate next time ???????? ariagato!
Hi Emma! Thank you for trying this recipe, and I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Hope you like the different versions too! 🙂
Hi I came across your recipe and I must say that I am absolutely in love with the simplicity of this. Can I know how much alcohol you put into that amount of chocolate? Does the amount change depending on what alcohol is used? For say rum VS Irish cream VS Moscato. What about tea flavors? I know that you have a green tea matcha recipe. What about other teas like Darjeeling?
Thanx!
Hi Sam! Thank you! The amount of alcohol you want to add is really up to you (how strong you want in chocolate), but 2 Tbsp. should be a good starting point. Sure, you can make tea infused chocolate! I really want to do earl grey version… 🙂 Green tea version use green tea powder, but for earl grey or darjeeling version, you probably need to infuse while heating up cream. 🙂
Help. I tried recipe above but it was too sticky. Still tasty and taste good. not sure what went wrong
Hi Eiv! It is sticky, because it’s like truffle texture. I recommend cutting while the chocolate is still cold, and put back to fridge when it starts to get soft again. Hope this helps! 🙂
The recipe came together well but if you’re like me and find dark chocolate to be incredibly bitter and almost inedible, make sure you use milk chocolate. I used 60% cacao and winced and made faces at the taste.
Thanks for trying this recipe and for your feedback! I know, dark chocolate is not for everyone. 🙂
Is there any reason why you didn’t melt the choc first then only combine with the heavy cream which has been warm up? When I used your method by heating up the heavy cream first, the choc was not completely dissolve, it still left some very tidy pieces of unmelted choc and in the end I put it into Thermomix to cook slightly under 100 degree n it turned out quite nicely but don’t think it is as smooth as Royce choc though. Hence would like to understand whether there is any reason why u did u this way. Was wondering whether it will be smoother if we melt the choc first.
Btw, I love all your recipe, they r easy n good. Hope to learn more fr u. Thanking u in advance.
Hi Pei! The common method is to heat up cream and pour over shaved (finely chopped) chocolate or put the shaved chocolate into the heavy cream. Save time and save pot/bowl to wash. Did you cut the chocolate finely? It should melt pretty easily. 🙂 I’m so happy to hear you enjoy my recipes. Thank you!!
I’m so excited to try out this recipe! My uncle just brought me some Nama chocolate as a souvenir from his trip to Japan and I instantly fell in love with its smooth, creamy texture.
Hi Christine! I hope you enjoy this chocolate recipe! Your uncle knows what to bring back from Japan!! 😀
Hello!
First off, I would like to thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe! I had good luck and no troubles on my first attempt but I tried making it again today and for some reason, when I tried cutting the chocolate into pieces, it kept cracking/breaking. This didn’t happen the first time around so I’m not sure what’s causing this problem. Any suggestions?
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Judy 🙂
Hi Judy! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! Did you use the same ingredients as before and you prepared in exact same way? I am not sure why – the texture should be trouffle like (not easy to crack), so I don’t know why it was cracking… was the chocolate thinner this time? I wish I could help, but I am not sure…
I was wondering if you’re able to make a milk chocolate version, and if so, whats the chocolate to cream ratio? Thanks so much!
Hi Amy! You can just swap the chocolate without changing the cream ratio. 🙂
OMG I really want to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Mitty! Hope you enjoy it! 🙂