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Quick Dango Recipe

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★★★★★

4.8 from 86 reviews

This Quick Dango recipe offers a simple and delightful way to make traditional Japanese rice flour dumplings topped with either sweet red bean paste or a glossy soy-based mitarashi sauce. Perfect as a sweet snack or dessert, these soft, chewy dumplings are easy to prepare with minimal ingredients and can be lightly pan-fried for added texture and flavor.

Ingredients

Scale

Dango

  • 1 cup glutinous rice flour (100 g / 3.52 oz)
  • 6 tbsp water (90 ml / 3 oz)

Mitarashi Sauce

  • 2 tsp cornstarch / cornflour
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 4 tbsp water

Topping

  • 8 tbsp anko / sweet red bean paste

Instructions

  1. Boil water: Bring a saucepan of water to a rolling boil, preparing for cooking the dango balls.
  2. Mix dough: In a medium mixing bowl, combine 1 cup glutinous rice flour and 6 tbsp water. Stir until the mixture starts sticking to the spoon or your hand and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
  3. Form dough ball: Use your hands to gather the dough into a big, soft ball. The texture should be soft and smooth, similar to the feel of your earlobes.
  4. Shape dango balls: Gently shape the dough into small balls about 2 cm (1 inch) in diameter using soft hands for smooth, round shapes.
  5. Cook dango: Carefully drop the dango balls into the boiling water. Cook until they begin to float to the surface (approximately 3-5 minutes), then continue cooking for an additional minute.
  6. Cool dango: Drain the cooked dango and immediately transfer them into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process and cool them down.
  7. Skewer dango: Thread 3 to 4 dango balls onto pre-soaked bamboo sticks, preparing them for serving or frying.
  8. Optional pan-fry: Heat a lightly oiled medium frying pan over medium heat. Fry the dango sticks on both sides for 3-5 minutes or until lightly browned, then remove from the pan.
  9. Prepare mitarashi sauce: In a medium bowl, combine 2 tsp cornstarch, 2 tbsp sugar, then add 1 tbsp soy sauce and 4 tbsp water. Mix until smooth.
  10. Cook sauce: Microwave the sauce mixture on high for 30 seconds, stir, then continue microwaving for another 20-30 seconds while watching carefully to prevent boiling over. Alternatively, heat it gently in a small saucepan over low heat until thick and glossy. Stir well once done.
  11. Serve with sauce: Spoon the thick mitarashi sauce over the dango and enjoy.
  12. Serve with anko topping: Alternatively, spoon 8 tbsp of sweet red bean paste (anko) over the dango and enjoy this traditional topping.

Notes

  • Soaking bamboo skewers before threading dango prevents them from burning if you choose to pan-fry.
  • The dango dough should be soft but pliable, adjust water or flour slightly if needed for the right texture.
  • Both mitarashi sauce and anko are traditional toppings; feel free to try both and see which you prefer.
  • Pan-frying the dango gives them a nice color and a slight crispness but is optional.
  • Serve dango fresh for the best chewy texture.

Keywords: dango, Japanese dessert, sweet rice dumplings, mitarashi sauce, red bean paste, anko, traditional Japanese sweets, chewy snack

Find it online: https://jedentaglecker.com/quick-dango-recipe/