Description
Easy Dango is a traditional Japanese rice dumpling made from a combination of non-glutinous and glutinous rice flours, formed into soft, colorful balls that are boiled and served on bamboo skewers. This recipe includes three different colored dango—white, pink, and matcha green—that represent the seasons and are often enjoyed during cherry blossom viewing in spring. The dumplings can be eaten plain or with sweet toppings like soy glaze or red bean paste.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup Joshinko non-glutinous rice flour (150 g)
- 1 1/2 cup Shiratamako glutinous sweet rice flour (200 g)
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar (optional, 75 g)
- 1 teaspoon matcha powder
Wet Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup hot water
- 1 teaspoon water (for matcha paste)
- 1 drop pink food coloring
Other
- 12 small bamboo skewers (soaked in water)
Instructions
- Prepare Skewers: Soak 12 small bamboo skewers in water to prevent burning or splitting during serving.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine 150 grams of Joshinko non-glutinous rice flour, 200 grams of Shiratamako glutinous sweet rice flour, and 75 grams of powdered sugar if you prefer a sweeter dango.
- Add Hot Water and Form Dough: Pour 1 1/3 cup hot water into the flour mixture and stir with a spoon until the mixture begins to come together. Then use your hands to knead the dough until it has a soft, clay-like consistency. Adjust with a bit more flour or water if necessary.
- Divide Dough: Split the dough evenly into three separate portions and place each into a separate bowl.
- Color the Dough: Add 1 drop of pink food coloring into one bowl and knead to incorporate thoroughly. For the second bowl, mix 1 teaspoon matcha powder with 1 teaspoon water to form a paste, then knead this into the dough. Leave the third portion plain white.
- Shape Dango Balls: Using a kitchen scale, measure out approximately 20 grams of dough per ball and roll into smooth, round balls. This recipe yields about 36 balls total.
- Boil White Dango: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop the white dango balls into the boiling water. Once they float to the surface, continue boiling for 2 more minutes to ensure they are cooked through.
- Shock in Ice Water: Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked white dango into a bowl of ice water to stop cooking and firm them up.
- Cook Pink and Matcha Dango: Repeat the boiling and ice bath process for the pink dango first, then the matcha dango, to prevent color bleeding.
- Assemble Skewers: Thread the dango balls onto the soaked bamboo skewers in the order of green (matcha) first, white in the middle, and pink last. This color order symbolizes summer grass, winter snow, and spring cherry blossoms respectively.
- Serve: Enjoy the dango skewers as is or with optional toppings like sweet soy glaze, red bean paste, or additional matcha paste.
Notes
- Soaking bamboo skewers prevents burning during grilling or serving.
- The dough texture should resemble soft clay or play-dough, not too sticky or crumbly.
- Cooking colors separately prevents color bleeding and maintains vibrant hues.
- The order of skewering dango has cultural symbolism tied to seasons.
- Use a kitchen scale for consistent ball sizes for even cooking.
- Optional toppings enhance flavor but are not necessary to enjoy traditional dango.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Japanese
Keywords: Dango, Japanese dessert, rice dumplings, matcha dango, traditional Japanese sweets, hanami snack, rice flour dumplings
