I’ve been in love with dango since my very first journey to Japan on the age of 4. The mochi mochi chewiness and pure sweetness of sticky rice nonetheless takes me again to my childhood each single time I’ve a chunk. Mitarashi dango—delicate glutinous rice balls with a candy soy glaze—is a really conventional dish typically served at festivals as a snack. It is usually one of many first Japanese dishes I ever discovered to prepare dinner. As soon as I discovered how simple it’s to make, mitarashi dango grew to become my favourite dessert. This recipe calls for 2 kinds of flour: joshinko, a fine-textured Japanese rice flour that turns into stretchy when blended with water, and shiratamako flour, which is constructed from glutinous rice and produces a silky and chewy dough. Discover each at your native Japanese market, or get them organized on-line.
Featured in “In Japanese, Onomatopoeic Words Describe Diverse Food Textures.”
Mitarashi Dango (Japanese Rice Dumplings with Candy Soy Glaze)
A mochi mochi texture makes for a delightfully chewy, silky snack.
Yield: makes 4 to five skewers
Time:
40 minutes
For the dango:
- ½ cups plus 3 Tbsp. joshinko flour
- ½ cups plus 1 Tbsp shiratamako flour
- ½ tsp. sugar
- 4 to five skewers
For the glaze:
- ¼ cups sugar
- 3 tbsp. mirin
- 3 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. potato starch or cornstarch
- ¼ cups plus 2 Tbsp. water
Directions
- Fill a medium pot with water and produce to a boil over excessive warmth. Fill a medium bowl with ice water and set it by the range.
- In a big bowl, stir collectively the joshinko flour, shiratamako flour, and sugar. Whereas stirring along with your hand or a wood spoon, slowly drizzle in ½ cup cool water till a dough begins to kind. Use your hand to knead the dough till easy, then, utilizing a small cookie scoop or measuring spoon, scoop the dough into fifteen 1-tablespoon-sized parts, then, utilizing the palms of your arms, roll every portion right into a easy ball.
- Into the boiling water, drop the dango balls; stir gently to maintain them from sticking to the underside of the pot and to one another. Prepare dinner till the dumplings float to the floor, about 10 minutes, then proceed cooking 1 minute extra.
- Utilizing a spider skimmer or slotted spoon, switch the dango balls to the ice water and put aside to chill for 3 minutes. Drain the dango balls once more then thread onto 5 6–7-inch skewers (3 balls per skewer). Place the skewers on a small plate and put aside.
- Make the glaze: In a small pot, whisk collectively the sugar, mirin, soy sauce, potato starch, and ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of cool water. Set over medium warmth and prepare dinner, stirring constantly, till the combination thickens to a sticky glaze, about 5 minutes. Take away from the warmth, instantly pour the glaze over the dango balls, and serve instantly.
