Mitarashi Dango (Rice Dumplings Coated with A Sweet Soy Glaze)

Mitarashi Dango is a traditional Japanese sweet made with glutinous rice dumplings and a sweet soy glaze. Its unique flavor and texture have captured the taste buds of the Japanese people in the past and continue to do so today.

Jump to:

• What is Mitarashi Dango?
• Origin and transition
• Types of rice flour to use for mitarashi dango
• Various types
• Ingredients
• Step-by-step instructions
• Tips on how to make
• Recipe Card

What is Mitarashi Dango?

Mitarashi Dango is a traditional Japanese confectionery consisting of small spherical dango that are grilled and coated with a sweet soy glaze. This sweet soy glaze is made by heating sugar and soy sauce, giving it a unique addictive flavor that you won't find anywhere else.

Mitarashi refers to the sweet soy glaze used in this dish, and Dango means rice dumplings. It has a very long history, dating back to the late Kamakura period (1246-1333) in Japan.

Origin and transition

Mitarashi dango is said to have originated as an offering to the gods during the Mitarashi Festival at Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto. Originally, there were 10 skewers arranged in a fan shape, with one small dango on the end of the each bamboo skewer, followed by four in a row with small gaps between them. However, by the Muromachi period (1336-1573), dango arranged on just one skewer already existed for ease of eating, and in the 1600s, it was common to have five dango on a skewer.

In the Taisho period (1912-1926), the taste also changed. Until then, they were simply coated with soy sauce and grilled, but the owner of Kamo Mitarashi Chaya, a sweet shop that is still in front of Shimogamo Shrine, came up with the idea of combining soy sauce with brown sugar and glaze thickened with kudzu starch. The flavored mitarashi dango became so popular that the term "Mitarashi Dango" now refers to these dango flavored with a sweet soy glaze of sugar and soy sauce. Similarly, it has become common to serve 3-4 dumplings on one skewer for easy consumption.

Types of rice flour to use for mitarashi dango

Mitarashi dango can be prepared using joshinko, shiratamako, mochiko, or dangoko. All of these are types of rice flour, but there are some differences among them as follows:

Joshinko (上新粉): Rice flour made from dried and powdered non-glutinous rice. When used to make dango, it is less sticky and has a crumbly texture.

Shiratamako (白玉粉): Rice flour made from glutinous rice soaked in water, dried, and powdered. When used to make dango, it becomes soft, stretchy, and has a smooth texture. The dango don't become so hard even when cooled.

Mochiko (もち粉): Rice flour made from glutinous rice dried and powdered without using water. When used to make dango, they become elastic and glutinous. The dango become hard when cooled.

Dangoko (だんご粉/団子粉): Rice flour made from a blend of non-glutinous rice and glutinous rice. When used to make dango, it has a slightly firm, chewy texture.

You can make mitarashi dango with any kind of rice flour, but the texture and stretchy of the dango will vary depending on the type of rice flour you use. To achieve the same texture as store-bought mitarashi dango, I recommend using a combination of joshinko and shiratamako in equal parts.

When using only joshinko, it is necessary to use hot water to make the dango sticky. However, when you mix equal parts of joshinko and shiratamako, you don't need to use hot water (although hot water can also be used).

Various types

Mitarashi dango is usually skewered and coated with sweet soy glaze on the outside, but there are also other varieties such as dango without skewers with sweet soy glaze inside, the flat conical dango, and dango shaped like animals. Although the taste is the same, if you like the regular mitarashi dango, it is enjoyable to make the dango into various shapes.

Ingredients

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Step-by-step instructions

🕒 Total 35 mins

Step 1
Combine joshinko and shiratamako with sugar in a bowl and knead while adding water little by little. If the dough doesn't come together, add a small amount of water (about ½ Tbsp) and adjust until the dough comes together properly.

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Step 2
After kneading the dough until it becomes as soft as an earlobe, shape it into dumplings that are around 0.46 oz. (13g) each. You can roll the dough between the palms of your hands to form nice spherical shapes.

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Step 3
Fill a pot with plenty of water and bring it to a boil. Once the water is boiling, put the dumpling dough into the pot and boil over medium heat for about 4 minutes until they rise to the surface. After they float to the surface, let them continue to boil for a few more minutes.

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Step 4
Fill a bowl with ice water or cold water. Transfer the boiled dango to the bowl and let them cool for a few minutes.

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Step 5
Drain the dango in a colander. Wait a few minutes for the surface to dry, then skewer 4 dango per bamboo skewer.

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Step 6
Lightly brown the dango on both sides. I used a frying pan here, but you can use a kitchen torch or direct flame.

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Step 7
Mix the starch with water until it dissolves. Combine sugar, soy sauce, and water in a pot, and bring it to a gentle boil over low heat. Gradually add the mixture of starch and water while stirring to thicken the glaze.

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Step 8
Serve the dango on a plate and drizzle sweet soy glaze over them.

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To Store

You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. As dango tends to harden when cooled, it is recommended to microwave it before eating.

Tips on how to make

• When preparing the dough for dango, be careful not to add too much water. If you add too much, the dough won't hold together properly. Even if you feel there is not enough water, be sure to add it in small amounts.
• When boiling the dough for dango, boil it slowly over medium or low heat. This will make it come out soft.

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