Dango
Dango are small Japanese rice dumplings served on skewers, with a pleasantly chewy bite from a mix of glutinous rice flour and regular rice flour. The mitarashi version is seared until lightly charred, then coated in a glossy, thick soy-sugar glaze whose balance of salty and sweet is truly addictive.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total time
- 40 min
- Method
- Boiled or simmered
Ingredients
Dumpling dough
Mitarashi sauce (sweet soy glaze)
Instructions
Step 1
Mix 100 g glutinous rice flour with 100 g rice flour, slowly pour in 170 g water and squeeze it together with your hands until it forms a smooth dough. Add the water gradually, since each flour absorbs water differently and dough that is too wet is hard to roll into balls. The dough is ready when it is as soft as an earlobe, doesn't stick to your hands and doesn't crack at the edges when pressed.
Step 2
Divide the dough into twenty-four equal pieces and roll each into a smooth ball about three centimeters across. Even balls cook at the same time and look neat on the skewers. The balls are ready when they are round and smooth with no cracks on the surface.
Step 3
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, drop the balls in small batches and stir gently so they don't stick to the bottom; once they float, boil for another two to three minutes. Boiling a little longer after they float cooks the centers through so they aren't hard. The dango are cooked when they are plump and glossy, slightly translucent at the edges and evenly chewy when you bite one.
Step 4
Scoop the dango out and drop them straight into a bowl of ice water for about a minute, then lift them out to drain. The cold water firms up the surface, making the dango chewier and keeping them from sticking together. They're ready when the outsides are cool, smooth and free of standing water.
Step 5
Thread four dango onto each bamboo skewer, place them in a dry nonstick pan over medium heat and sear each side for about one to two minutes. The light char gives that signature toasty aroma of street-stall dango. They're ready when golden brown patches appear on both sides.
Step 6
Put 100 g water, 30 g soy sauce, 50 g granulated sugar and 10 g potato starch in a small saucepan, stir until dissolved while still cold, then cook over medium heat, stirring steadily. Dissolving the starch before heating keeps the sauce from turning lumpy. The sauce is ready when it turns from cloudy to a clear, glossy amber and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Step 7
Pour or brush the warm mitarashi sauce evenly over the skewers and serve right away. Warm sauce clings evenly around each dumpling and forms a glossy coating. They're ready when every dumpling is covered in a thick layer of sauce that slowly drips down the skewer.
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Mixing bowl
- Kitchen scale
- Nonstick skillet
- Spatula
Tips
- Mashing a little silken tofu into the dough in place of some of the water keeps the dango soft longer so they don't harden as they cool.
- If you don't have potato starch, use the same amount of cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
- You can tint the dough with matcha and a little beet powder to make the three-color dango skewers often seen during cherry blossom season.
Storage
Dango are best eaten within a few hours of making, as rice dumplings gradually harden as they sit. If you need to keep them until the next day, wrap them tightly and leave them at room temperature, then reboil them or microwave them for a few seconds to soften them again.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The balls crack when rolled.
- The dough needs more water. Add water one small spoonful at a time and knead again until the dough is soft and smooth and no longer cracks at the edges when pressed.
- The mitarashi sauce is thin and won't cling to the dango.
- The sauce wasn't cooked long enough for the starch to thicken. Keep cooking and stirring constantly until the sauce turns clear and thickens.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
