Mitarashi Dango Recipe – Japanese Special

Prepare the sauce: Begin by combining all sauce ingredients except for the potato/corn starch in a small saucepan. Stir well and place over medium heat until the mixture starts to gently boil. Reduce the heat to low.

Create the starch slurry: In a separate small bowl, mix the 1 tablespoon of potato/corn starch with a little cold water to create a slurry. Add this slurry to the saucepan, stirring continuously until the sauce thickens, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.

Make the dango dough: In a mixing bowl, combine 160g of shiratamako rice flour, 60g of joshinko rice flour, 170ml-190ml of water, and 1-2 teaspoons of sugar, adjusting to taste. Mix until a dough forms. Knead the dough by hand until it becomes soft and slightly stretchy, resembling the texture of an earlobe.

Shape the dango: After preparing the dough, bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Form the dough into small, bite-sized balls. Carefully place each ball into the boiling water, ensuring not to overcrowd the pan. Boil in batches if necessary.

Boil the dango: Cook the balls for 1-2 minutes until they float to the surface. Remove them and transfer to a bowl of ice water to halt the cooking process. Repeat as needed, then drain the dango from the ice water.

Skewer the dango: Thread 3-5 dango balls onto each skewer, piercing through the center of each ball. Using a grill pan or your oven’s grill, grill the skewers until grill marks appear. Flip them to cook the other side. Once done, brush or pour the prepared mitarashi sauce over the skewers. Enjoy the mitarashi dango while hot.