Dango Treats!
When you’re having fun on the go and you’re looking for snacks, food which is as mobile as you is always a good thing. In Japan, country of a thousand festivals, food mobility is an important factor to enjoying the celebrations. These two snack attributes are best personified in a treat almost as old as the festivals: dango.
Dango are dumplings which can be either savory or sweet and are often, but not always, served on a bamboo skewer. Savory dango are many times covered in some type of soy-based sauce, which can either be sweet, salty or both, and can be served with nori sprinkled on top or completely wrapped in a sheet of seaweed.
However, dango aren’t limited to just Japanese ingredients. You can get creative and create your own toppings for dango; it’s your wagashi- make whatever you want with it!
If you’ve ever considered making your own dango, either with traditional or personal ingredients, this is your lucky day! Today we’ll explore the possibilities with dango and look at the many varieties of the dumplings. Get your steamers ready guys, there’s more to dango than you think!
First, let’s break down the different ways of making dango, including cooking methods, ingredients, and end with varieties.
Cooking
Technically, all dango are cooked in some manner. There are many ways to prepare and cook dango, varying in degrees of simplicity and difficulty.
Boiling
The easiest way to make dango is:
- Mix together mochiko and water
- Make mochiko dough into balls
- Drop balls in boiling water, soup or other liquid
- Cook for about fifteen minutes
Steaming
The next step up from boiling would be:
- Form the mochiko dough into balls
- Steam the dango
- Skewer the balls (optional)
- Roast the dango (optional)
Twice Cooked
Higher up on the dango difficulty scale is what I call twice-cooked dango. To make this dango:
- Reduce dango batter from a viscous liquid to a solid dough
- Form dough into balls
- Thread balls on skewers and steam
Shiro An Method
This is a complex method of making dango, but will yield unique dumplings with an interesting flavor and texture:
- Mix mochiko with shiro koshian
- Steam mixture and work sugar into mix
- Add additional ingredients
- Form into balls and skewer
Flours
Mochiko, glutinous rice flour, is what gives dango their super chewy, gooey texture. Shiratamako, another glutinous rice flour, is also used to make dango. A dango recipe made entirely from mochiko or shiratamako will result in a very soft dango.
Shiratamako is lumpy, and must be dissolved in water or ground before using in a recipe. I’ve heard mochiko can be used interchangeably with shiratamako with little to no adverse results. I personally have used mochiko in place of shiratamako and haven’t noticed the difference. Mochiko is also waaaay cheaper than shiratamako, especially if it’s bought under the name “sweet rice flour”.
Joshinko, non-glutinous rice flour, can be added in varying amounts to create a firmer dango. I recommend a ratio of no more than 1:1 of mochiko to joshinko for dango which is firm but still has some gooey mouth feel. Anything above that results in a denser, less chewy, harder dango.
Liquids
Water is normally used as in making dango, and boiling water at that. However, nothing’s keeping you from substituting other liquids or semi-liquids (anko, mashed fruit, pumpkin filling, etc.) for a portion or all of the water. Fruit or vegetable juice, rose water, milk, tea, or coffee can all be added to dango to enhance the flavor and change the texture. Also, extracts and concentrated flavorings can be added to alter the flavor.
The more liquid used in dango, the softer and gooier it will be. Less water will create a firmer dango, but will also result in a drier dango. Keep in mind you want the liquids hot, unless you plan on cooking the dango ingredients together anyway. Boiling the liquids will dissolve sugars and help bind the mochiko to the other ingredients, which in turn results in smoother, less gritty dango.
Additives
Certain additives, such as powders, non-rice flours, beans, nuts and seeds can be added to the dough, but it’s important to keep in mind how they’ll effect the texture of the finished dango. Small amounts of powdered spices, espresso powder, cocoa, matcha and powdered milk can be added to the rice flour(s) or dissolved in the water/ juice to create flavored dough. Experimentation with amounts is important in finding a recipe that works with your preferred texture and flavorings.
Toppings
After the dango are steamed and/or toasted, it’s your choice what you top them with, if at all. I personally am a huge fan of anko and goma an (black sesame seed paste) on my plain toasted dango. Drowning freshly browned dango in a sea of beans and sesame seeds is more yummy than it sounds. It’s up to you, though, to choose what to cover your dango with.
Some traditional ideas are:
- Tsubu An: Chunky bean paste
- Koshi An: Smooth bean paste
- Shiro An: White bean paste
- Goma An: Black sesame paste
- Kurumi: Walnut powder
- Kuri: Chestnut powder or paste
- Kinako: Roasted soy bean flour
- Mitarashi: Sauce similar to teriyaki
- Matcha An: Green tea paste
- Zunda: Dango topped with slightly sweetened green soybean paste
- Nori: Savory dango wrapped in seaweed
Dango Varities
Dango are named after their toppings, their added ingredients to the dough and their fillings. The above are a sampling of dango named after toppings (goma dango, an dango) but there are also dango named after what’s in the dough and the finished dango or how they’re cooked:
- Matcha Dango: Green tea powder flavored dango
- Kibi dango: Dango made with millet starch
- Yomogi/ Kusa Dango: Mugwort flavored dumplings (kusa dango were originally flavored with cudweed)
- Gomasuri Dango: Lil’ dumplings filled with black sesame paste
- Zunda dango: Dango filled with green soybean paste
- Sasa Dango: Dumplings filled with anko and steamed in bamboo leaves
- Kushi Dango: Skewered dumplings
- Sanshoku Dango (Three Color Dumplings: Sanshoku (three colors): Dumplings made with three colors. Contrary to popular belief, sanshoku dango does not refer to a specific variety. Any dango with three colors is sanshoku dango, including hanami and botchan dango.
Dango are also named for festivals and even fictional characters!
- Hanami Dango (Flower Viewing Dumplings): Three dango on a skewer. Colors are pink (food coloring), white
- Tsukimi Dango (Moon Viewing Dumplings): Non-skewered filled or plain dumplings. Usually presented as a pyramid shaped pile of dumplings, tsukimi dango are eaten during the moon viewing festival. I’ve seen ornate tsukimi dango shaped like usagi (bunnies!) as a homage to the mochi pounding rabbit in the moon.
- Ikinari Dango (All of a Sudden Dango): Don’t know why this is called dango, but this daifuku-looking dumpling is made with satsumaimo topped with anko, wrapped with mochiko dough and then cooked. It’s a specialty from Kumamoto where it gets its name from being so easy to make. If visitors pop by, all of a sudden, ikinari dango is so simple, it can be whipped up in minutes.
- Botchan Dango (Named after a fictional character): Three dango on a skewer made from red beans, matcha and egg yolk.
(plain) and green (matcha, yomogi or food coloring). Hanami dango are eaten during cherry blossom season.
Hopefully, I’ve inspired you to try your hand at making dango. If I have, keep reading for recipes on basic dango and complete dango recipes!
Hello!
phentermine online doctor rx ,
Hello!
phentermine angina ,
Hello!
phentermine wiki blue white capsules ,
Hello!
phentermine ,
I totally adore this blog!!! definitely gonna have to put this on my bookmarks.
Epic, I found your blog on Ask searching for something totally unrelated- now I’m gonna need to go all the archives. Good bye my free time this morning, but this was a really awesome find
Hello!
lorazapam and tramadol ,
Hello!
cialis max dose ,
Hello!
cheap viagra ,
Hello!
compare vuagra cialis ,
Hello!
levitra online bestellen ,
Hello!
t buy generic cialis ,
Hello!
cheap phentermine ,
Hello!
discount generic cialis ,
Hello!
generic viagra ,
I have alot of songs in my iTunes library and I want to put them on my iphone. Is this possible, or is that something I lose because of the unlocking? Also are there any music player apps in cydia?
________________
unlock iphone
I have received some good answers on here about avoiding penny stocks. One suggested I go with trading in the Forex. How much money can I make on a $1,000 dollar trade for one day? Thanks everyone for your help!
best forex software
I want to know best automatic forex trading software with good contact service?
best forex software
As a novice what does it require to know about forex before you begin trading.
best forex software
I do not want to throw good money after bad nor do I want to be preciptous, but certain behaviours by the forex investment club have caused me grave concerns
best forex software
free movies download parampampam!
Hello!
viagra ,
Apple now has Rhapsody as an app, which is a great start, but it is currently hampered by the inability to store locally on your iPod, and has a dismal 64kbps bit rate. If this changes, then it will somewhat negate this advantage for the Zune, but the 10 songs per month will still be a big plus in Zune Pass’ favor.
I absolutely agree with you! Spot on. I wish more people to think like that.
I completely agree with you! Spot on. I would like more people to think like that.
Magic sushi
Zune and iPod: Most people compare the Zune to the Touch, but after seeing how slim and surprisingly small and light it is, I consider it to be a rather unique hybrid that combines qualities of both the Touch and the Nano. It’s very colorful and lovely OLED screen is slightly smaller than the touch screen, but the player itself feels quite a bit smaller and lighter. It weighs about 2/3 as much, and is noticeably smaller in width and height, while being just a hair thicker.
I eat sushi everyday
I like your sushi
Hello!
xanax ,
Hello!
cheap viagra ,
Hands down, Apple’s app store wins by a mile. It’s a huge selection of all sorts of apps vs a rather sad selection of a handful for Zune. Microsoft has plans, especially in the realm of games, but I’m not sure I’d want to bet on the future if this aspect is important to you. The iPod is a much better choice in that case. Naruto Shippuden
Thanks, I enjoyed reading your post. Keep up with the good work. I’ll definitely be back for more.
I totally agree with you! Spot on. I would like more people to think like that. Have you ever tried adding acai berry to your recipe?
This debate is going no way.
I’m sorry, but i can’t understand. How to make the dango? I mean, the ingredient to make dango. Can you post it please….???
Apple now has Rhapsody as an app, which is a great start, but it is currently hampered by the inability to store locally on your iPod, and has a dismal 64kbps bit rate. If this changes, then it will somewhat negate this advantage for the Zune, but the 10 songs per month will still be a big plus in Zune Pass’ favor.
Hello!
xanax ,
Between me and my husband we’ve owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic
This is a really great blog. I will have to come back here more frequently. Thanks for all the great information.
nice article. thanks for sharing this.
Greetings I found your blog by chance i was browsing MSN for acai berry products that I had already purchased When we found your website, I must say your site is really cool I just love the template, its top!. I don’t have the time at the moment to fully read your site but I have bookmarked it and also signed up for your RSS feeds. I will be back in a day or two. thanks for a brilliant site.
Hi I found your blog by chance i was searching Yahoo for colon cleanse offers that I had already bought when I came upon your site, I must say your website is really cool I just love the theme, its amazing!. I don’t have the time at the moment to fully read your site we have placed your site in our favourites and also signed up for your RSS feeds. I will be back in a day or two. thanks for a brilliant site.
Hello I found your blog by chance i was searching MSN for colon cleanse offers that I had already purchased When we found your website, I must say your site is really cool I just love the theme, its top!. I don’t have the time at the moment to fully read your site we have placed your site in our favourites and also signed up for your RSS feeds. We will be back when we have more time. thanks for a great site.
Hello!
best dosage of cialis ,
Hello!
tramadol opioid analgesic ,
Coffee in the early morning, coffee in the night, coffee all day long. That is exactly how my day appear like. I’m hooked to caffeine. I have to state the submit was a decent read. You should try and check out my web site regarding caffeine at Single Cup Coffee Makers
It’s a great day today and i feel like testing some new recipes. Thanks for your ideas and wonderful posts in your blog, you’ve done an excelent job!
Hello!
viagra ,
Hello!
tramadol ,