Let's Make Dango!

Earlier today, I uploaded this Instagram photo of some dango I made.

Dango are a traditional Japanese treat — chewy, sticky, and very lightly sweetened.  The ones you buy in the store usually look a lot rounder and prettier than mine…

Psh, whatever.  It’s all about taste anyway!

It has subsequently occurred to me that some of my followers might like to try making dango at home.  The recipe is super, super easy, and the ingredients aren’t hard to find (providing you’ve got an Asian grocery near you).  You’ll need:

1 cup of Rice Flour (easy to find at your local Asian grocery, I promise!)

1/4 cup of Gluttinous Rice Flour (ditto)

1/2 cup of Sugar

1 cup of Hot Water

2 tablespoons of Cold Water

THE STEPS

1. Mix rice flour, hot water, and sugar in a big bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, mix gluttinous rice flour and cold water.

3. Mix both bowls together.  Knead until reasonably firm (not rock solid!).

4. Form the dango mixture into little balls.

5. Pop the little balls in a pot of boiling water.

6. When the balls float, that means they’re done.  You may want to refrigerate them for a bit to make them less sticky.

7. Enjoy! :D

One more thing: if you want tri-colored dango (as pictured above), split the mixture into three different bowls after step 3.  Mix green food coloring into one bowl and red food coloring into another.  Leave the third white.  Make sure you boil the white dango first, otherwise the green and red coloring might leech into it!