Dango , also called odango , is a very popular traditional snack in Japan. They are mochi dumplings made with glutinous rice flour. There are many kinds depending on the region and the season. They are delicious and easy to make. We suggest you to make our dango recipe at home.
In the first part we will show you the base of dango, in which you can add the flavors you want or food coloring. Here are some ideas of Japanese flavors. Generally 1 teaspoon is enough:
- Matcha powder
- Cocoa powder
- vanilla powder
- Powder of sakura flower
- Powder of yuzu
- Strawberry powder
- Kinako powder (roasted soybean powder)
For dango, Japanese flour called shiratamako is used. Personally, I use glutinous rice flour that you can find much easier in Asian grocery stores. I also use silken tofu, the texture of the dango is softer and smoother without hardening with time.
In the second part we will see the toppings you can put on top. We made one with anko (sweet azuki bean paste), one with black sesame paste, one with matcha and one with sweet shoyu soy sauce glaze. This last one is called “mitarashi dango“, one of the most popular dango in Japan.
Feel free to be generous with the toppings!
Recipe for dango, small mochi skewers
Equipment
- Bamboo picks
Ingredients
- 110 g glutinous rice flour
- 140 g organic silken tofu
- 1 tbsp white sugar (optional)
- 1 tsp matcha powder, cocoa powder, etc… (optional)
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the glutinous rice flour with the silken tofu and sugar (optional) using Japanese chopsticks.
- When you see small pieces forming, mix the dough with your hands for 5 minutes. You will obtain a fluid and compact paste.
- Make dough pieces, it is at this stage that you can add your seasoning powder like matcha for example.
- Cut out dough pieces of the same size, personally I took 20g for each dumpling.
- Make smooth, round balls. Tip: To make them perfect, place a piece of dough in your hands and rotate it into a ball. Keep your hands flat.
- Soak your wooden or bamboo picks in water. Prepare a bowl of cold water and a pot with boiling hot water. Cook your noodle balls in the pan of water for 2 to 3 minutes. As soon as the mochi rise to the surface they are cooked.
- Then place them immediately in cold water.
- Take your picks and skewer the mochi balls. You can garnish them and enjoy them with tea afterwards!
For toppings, here are our recipe links:
- Anko, sweet azuki bean paste, is one of the favorite toppings of the Japanese.
- Black sesame paste, this sesame flavor is very tasty in dessert!
- For the matcha version, in addition to incorporating it in the dough, we sprinkled some on top.
- The version with mitarashi dango with sweet soy sauce is really tasty too!
Let your imagination run wild when it comes to tastes, shapes and colors! You can also please your children (and not only!) by making kawaii mochis!