Mitarashi dango

5 servings because of 16 balls per bach

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Step 1

Now for the dumplings using joshinko ⅔ cup of Japanese rice flour ¾ cup of glutinous rice flour, ⅔ cup of boiling water Now for the dumplings using Dangoko, 1⅓ cup Japanese rice dumpling flour, ⅔ cup water, Finly, the sweet soy glaze 4 Tbsp sugar, 2 Tbsp mirin, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, ⅔ cup water, 2 cup corn starch. And one more thing, Japanese rice flour is the same thing as shiratamako.

Step 2

Gather the ingredients for the sweet soy glaze. Soak the bamboo skewers in water. You can start boiling a large pot of water on low heat

Step 3

To Make the Rice Dumplings Combine ⅔ cup joshinko (Japanese rice flour) and ¾ cup shiratamako (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour) in a bowl. Using chopsticks, mix it all together until well blended. (If you‘re making the dumplings using dangoko, add 1⅓ cup dangoko (Japanese rice dumpling flour) instead to a bowl.)

Step 4

Stir in some of the ⅔ cup boiling water, a little bit at a time, while mixing with chopsticks. Please note: You can always add more water so go with a small addition. The dough should be on the dry side. (Or, stir in some of the ⅔ cup water (cold) for the dangoko, a little bit at a time.)

Step 5

When the flours start to stick together and eventually form clumps, stop adding water. Using your hands, combine the dough into one ball

Step 6

Knead until the dough becomes smooth. The texture is like squeezing an “earlobe“ (that’s how we describe the tenderness of this type of mochi in Japanese).

Step 7

Form the dough into a ball. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.

Step 8

Then divide each piece into 2 smaller pieces. You will have 16 equal-sized pieces of dough. I always like to weigh mine. Each ball should be 20 grams. You may have some extra dough, but that’s okay.

Step 9

Shape each of the dough pieces into a smooth, round ball. If the dough is cracking or has some wrinkles, dip the tip of your finger in water and apply a small amount of water to the cracked area to smooth it out. You now have 16 equal-sized dumplings.

Step 10

Just before cooking the dumplings, prepare a bowl of iced water. Once the water in the pot is boiling, gently drop each dumpling into the pot with a smooth, continuous arm motion to avoid splashing. Cook them all at once. Stir the balls occasionally so they keep their round shape and don‘t stick to the bottom of the pot.

Step 11

The dumplings will stay near the bottom of the pot at first, but they will float once cooked. When they rise to the top, boil them for an additional 1–2 minutes.

Step 12

Transfer the dumplings to the bowl of iced water.

Step 13

Once the dumplings have cooled, drain them well and transfer them to a tray. Tip: Wet the tray so the dumplings don‘t stick.

Step 14

Skewer three pieces onto a bamboo skewer. Continue with the rest of the dumplings and set aside.

Step 15

To Make the Sweet Soy Glaze In a cold saucepan, add 4 Tbsp sugar, 2 Tbsp mirin, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, ⅔ cup water, and 2 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch Do not turn on the heat yet.

Step 16

Mix all the ingredients together well until smooth. The potato starch/cornstarch will become lumpy if you heat the sauce without stirring beforehand. Now, turn on the heat and continue to whisk.

Step 17

Keep whisking continuously, as the mixture can thicken suddenly.

Step 18

When the sauce thickens, remove the saucepan from the heat and transfer the sauce to a container or bowl. If you are making it ahead of time, remove the sauce from the heat before the consistency gets too thick. The moisture will continue to evaporate as it cools and thicken the sauce.

Step 19

To Serve Optional: Sear and enhance the flavor with a kitchen butane torch. You can also grill them over direct heat (if you are going to place them on a wire rack, grease it first, as the dumplings tend to stick). You can use a broiler to char the dumplings or use a nonstick frying pan to pan-fry the surface of the dango.

Step 20

Pour the sweet soy glaze on top of the Mitarashi Dango and serve immediately.

Step 21

To Store Option 1: After you form the dough into round dumplings, you can store the uncooked dumplings in a single layer in an airtight container and freeze up to a month. When ready to use, boil the frozen dango without defrosting first.

Step 22

Option 2: After boiling and cooling the dumplings, pat them dry and pack them so they don‘t touch each other into an airtight container. Freeze up to a month. When ready to use, microwave or boil them until warm.

Step 23

To keep the Mitarashi Dango tender for a longer time: Adding sugar to the dango dough will help them stay softer. The recommended amount of sugar is 20% of flour’s weight (which is 40 grams). If you reduce the amount, it might not be as effective