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If you haven’t had the chance to try dango, this Mitarashi Dango recipe is going to save you from missing out! Originating from Japan, this dish can now be easily found almost everywhere thanks to their delicious flavor and the fact that they are easy to make.
What is Dango?
Dango is a traditional Japanese rice ball arranged in bamboo skewers. Made with silken tofu and glutinous rice flour, they are chewy in texture and sweet, which makes Dango a perfect snack or dessert. There are two common types of Dango:
- Mitarashi Dango – In this blog post, we will be sharing Mitarashi Dango recipe which is the most popular type of Dango. The Dango skewers are glazed in sweet soy sauce. This might taste a little savory from the saltiness of the soy sauce but we think it still makes a good dessert!
- Hanami Dango – Hanami Dango is usually colored green, pink or white, which comes from green tea or strawberry powder. Hanami Dango is usually not glazed with any syrup or sauce because the rice balls itself already contains flavor. You can check out of Hanami Dango recipe and video here!
I remember during my trip in Japan, we would get Dango either in restaurants (as a dessert) or from small stalls in tourist spots. The skewers really make Dango a convenient street food!
What you need to make Mitarashi Dango
- Silken Tofu – This might or might not surprise you but one of the core ingredients for our Mitarashi Dango recipe is silken tofu. Silken tofu helps you achieve that chewy and soft texture in the Dango. The tofu also helps bind all the dry ingredients together.
- Glutinous rice flour – We used Mochiko as our glutinous rice flour which you can find in most Asian markets.
- Sugar – We all need a little sweetness in our life 😉 Regular white sugar will do the job just fine!
In a bowl, break the tofu with a fork into small crumbles and then add sugar and the glutinous rice flour. These three ingredients are all you need for the Mitarashi Dango!
Mix everything thoroughly with your hand until it starts becoming sticky. Roll it into one big ball and then divide the dough into 12 small pieces. We find it easier if we roll it into a thin cylindrical shape first before dividing the dough.
Cooking Mitarashi Dango
Once you roll up the smaller dough into a circle, it’s time to boil them. Place the dough in boiling water for at least 3 minutes or until you see the dough floating up. While boiling, you want to prepare a bowl filled with water and ice. Transfer the Dango dough into this ice water once it is done cooking in the boiling water.
Next, arrange the dango in the skewers. Poke a hole in the middle of one of the dough and insert the skewer through the other end. Continue until your skewers has 3 rice balls each.
Then, heat up a non-stick pan on medium heat. Once the pan is warmed up, place the dango on the pan. Flip the dango once the bottom side turns slightly brown. You can also grill this directly on top of the fire or use a kitchen torch to give you that charcoal aroma and taste.
Making Mitarashi Dango Sauce
Let’s be real, the best part of a Mitarashi Dango is that sweet soy sauce. The good news is that this glaze is super easy to make. You’ll only need soy sauce, brown sugar and slurry (cornstarch + water). If you think combining soy sauce and brown sugar is odd, try this out first and you’ll understand what the hype is about😉
The slurry helps give the glaze a thicker texture which matches perfectly with the chewy Dango.
Enjoy your Mitarashi Dango as a snack or dessert! If you want to see a video on how we made Mitarashi Dango, click HERE.
Want more easy Asian recipes? check out:
Pork Adobo
Crab Rangoon
Lumpia Shanghai
ingredients:
- 4oz Silken tofu
- ¾ cup Glutinous rice flour (mochiko)
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Brown sugar
- ¼ cup Water
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- 1.5 tbsp Water
steps:
- Drain 4oz of silken tofu (1/3 of a regular tofu pack). Next, place it in a bowl and mash the tofu using a fork until it is crumbled into tiny pieces.
- Add the glutinous rice flower and sugar on the bowl and mix with the crumbled tofu. Use your hands to ensure that everything is combined thoroughly. Keep on mixing until you form one huge dough.
- Then, divide the dough into three equal parts and roll each part into a long cylindrical shape.
- Divide each cylindrical dough into 4 equal parts and roll each part into a circle.
- Next, boil the rice balls in boiling water for about 3 minutes or until the dough floats. While it is boiling, prepare a bowl filled with water and ice. Once it is done boiling, carefully transfer the dough in the ice bath for about 1-2 minutes to cool down.
- Once the rice balls are cooled, arrange them in a skewer. Use 3 doughs on each skewer. If the skewer is too long, you might need to cut them.
- Then, place the Dango you just made on a non-stick pan over medium heat. Flip the Dango once the bottom part turns golden. You can also use a kitchen torch to create the char aroma.
- Set the Dango aside once the sides are golden as we move on to making the sauce. Prepare the slurry mixture first in a small bowl by combining cornstarch and water.
- In a small pan, combine the brown sugar and soy sauce over medium heat. Make sure to stir continuously to avoid burning the sauce. Add ¼ cup of water and continue stirring until the sugar completely melts.
- Next, add the slurry mixture and stir again for another minute until the sauce thickens.
- Finally, take the sauce off the heat and glaze it over the Dango. Serve and Enjoy!
Mitarashi Dango
BellyCheapCook
Mitarashi Dango is Japanese rice balls glazed in sweet soy sauce! This dish can be either the perfect snack or dessert. Try out our easy Dango recipe!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 5 mins
Total Time 15 mins
Course Dessert, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 2 people
Ingredients
- 4 oz Silken Tofu
- 3/4 cup Glutinous Rice Flour Mochiko
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1.5 tbsp water
Instructions
Drain 4oz of silken tofu (1/3 of a regular tofu pack). Next, place it in a bowl and mash the tofu using a fork until it is crumbled into tiny pieces
Add the glutinous rice flower and sugar on the bowl and mix with the crumbled tofu. Use your hands to ensure that everything is combined thoroughly. Keep on mixing until you form one huge dough.
Then, divide the dough into three equal parts and roll each part into a long cylindrical shape.
Divide each cylindrical dough into 4 equal parts and roll each part into a circle.
Next, boil the rice balls in boiling water for about 3 minutes or until the dough floats. While it is boiling, prepare a bowl filled with water and ice. Once it is done boiling, carefully transfer the dough in the ice bath for about 1-2 minutes to cool down.
Once the rice balls are cooled, arrange them in a skewer. Use 3 doughs on each skewer. If the skewer is too long, you might need to cut them.
Then, place the Dango you just made on a non-stick pan over medium heat. Flip the Dango once the bottom part turns golden. You can also use a kitchen torch to create the char aroma.
Set the Dango aside once the sides are golden as we move on to making the sauce. Prepare the slurry mixture first in a small bowl by combining cornstarch and water.
In a small pan, combine the brown sugar and soy sauce over medium heat. Make sure to stir continuously to avoid burning the sauce. Add ¼ cup of water and continue stirring until the sugar completely melts.
Next, add the slurry mixture and stir again for another minute until the sauce thickens.
Finally, take the sauce off the heat and glaze it over the Dango. Serve and Enjoy!
Keyword Mitarashi Dango
