Mitarashi Dango
Soft, pillowy glutinous rice flour dumplings skewered and glazed with a sweet-salty soy caramel sauce. A beloved Japanese street food that looks impressive but takes just 20 minutes from start to finish.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 186
- Protein
- 1g
Ingredients
- 1 cup glutinous rice flour (mochiko)
- ⅓ cup water, divided
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine)
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- 1
Pour 1 cup glutinous rice flour into a medium bowl, then slowly add 1/3 cup water while stirring with a fork until the mixture looks like wet sand with no dry flour visible.
- 2
Use your hands to knead the mixture in the bowl until it comes together into a smooth, soft dough that does not stick to your fingers — about 2 minutes of pressing and folding.
- 3
Pinch off a piece of dough about the size of a grape and roll it between your palms into a smooth ball; repeat until you have 12 balls total.
- 4
Fill a medium pot three-quarters full with water and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat, about 5 minutes — you'll see large bubbles rapidly breaking the surface.
- 5
Carefully drop all 12 dango balls into the boiling water and stir gently once with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking.
- 6
Wait until all the dango float to the surface, then let them boil for 2 more minutes — they will look puffy and glossy when ready.
- 7
Use a slotted spoon to scoop the dango out of the water and transfer them to a clean plate to cool for 1 minute.
- 8
In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon mirin, and 0.5 teaspoon cornstarch until the cornstarch dissolves and you see no lumps.
- 9
Heat a small non-stick skillet over medium heat for 1 minute, then pour in the glaze mixture and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until it thickens, turns glossy, and coats the back of the spoon — about 2 minutes.
- 10
Thread 3 dango onto each of 4 bamboo skewers, pushing them gently so they rest snugly but do not squash.
- 11
Drizzle the warm glaze over the top of each skewer, letting it coat all three dango balls.
- 12
Serve immediately while the glaze is warm and sticky — the dango are best eaten within 5 minutes.
Tools you’ll need
- medium bowl
- fork
- medium pot
- wooden spoon
- slotted spoon
- small bowl
- whisk
- small non-stick skillet
- 4 bamboo skewers (6 inches long)
- clean plate
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