Shiratama Dango

Shiratama Dango is a popular food in Japan known for its smooth, soft, and sticky texture. Often eaten with sweet toppings, it is also a classic ingredient added to a variety of sweets as it doesn’t interfere with the taste of other ingredients.

Jump to:

• What is Shiratama Dango?
• Japanese sweets made with shiratama dango
• To maintain smooth and soft texture for a long time
• Precautions for eating dango
• Ingredients
• Step-by-step instructions
• Tips on how to make
• Recipe Card

What is Shiratama Dango?

Shiratama Dango is a Japanese food made by combining shiratamako, a type of rice flour, with water, kneading it into a dumpling shape, and boiling it. Shiratama means white ball and Dango refers to rice dumplings. It has a soft, stretchy, and sticky texture, but since it has almost no taste, it is typically served with anko (red bean paste), kinako (roasted soybean flour), or kuromitsu (brown sugar syrup) as a traditional Japanese sweet.

In addition to shiratamako, other types of rice flour, such as joshinko, mochiko, and dangoko are used to make dango, but when making shiratama dango, only shiratamako needs to be used. Dango made with rice flour other than shiratamako is not shiratama dango. Since the texture is different, make sure not to confuse the ingredients.

Japanese sweets made with shiratama dango

Since shiratama dango is a food known for its texture, it is typically enjoyed as a Japanese sweet with sweet toppings. However it is also common to see it used in the following desserts in Japan:

• Anmitsu (a dessert that includes agar jelly, fruit, and sweet toppings)
• Mitsumame (a dessert made with boiled beans, agar jelly, and fruit)
• Zenzai (a sweet red bean soup)
• Ice cream

All of these are popular desserts that use shiratama dango. In addition to these, it also pairs well with pudding and chocolate, so after trying this recipe, you may find it interesting to combine it with other sweet treats in your area.

To maintain smooth and soft texture for a long time

Shiratama dango is less likely to become hard compared to other types of dango, but its texture still deteriorates over time. If dango becomes hard, you can soften it by reheating. However, if you want to eat it cold, you need to cool it down after reheating. To maintain its smooth and soft texture over time without reheating, there are two methods you can use.

One method is to add sugar. Adding 20% of the weight of rice flour (in the case of this recipe, shiratamako) in sugar and an equal amount of water and kneading the dumpling dough will ensure that the dango maintain a smooth and soft texture over time.

Another method is to add silken tofu instead of water. By adding 10% more silken tofu than the amount of water needed to make the dango, the resulting dango will not lose its texture even after some time has passed.

Both sugar and silken tofu have high water retention properties that slow down the starch retrogradation in dango, preventing it from becoming hard over time. However, both methods change the flavor of the dango. So unless you have a special reason to do otherwise, I recommend making dango without sugar or silken tofu and eating it as soon as possible after preparation.

Precautions for eating dango

When serving dango, including shiratama dango, to children and elderly people, please be careful as there is a risk of choking. It is recommended to make the dango smaller or cut them into smaller pieces for their safety.

Ingredients

---

Step-by-step instructions

🕒 Total 30 mins

Step 1
Add 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.

---

Step 2
After kneading the dough until it becomes as soft as an earlobe, shape it into dumplings that are around 0.58 oz. (16.5g) each. You can roll the dough between the palms of your hands to form nice spherical shapes. Use your finger to create a small indentation in the center of each dumpling.

---

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.

---

Step 4
Fill a bowl with ice water or cold water. Transfer the boiled dango to the bowl and let them cool for about 5 minutes.

---

Step 5
Drain the dango in a colander and serve them on a plate with anko, or kinako and kuromitsu.

---

To Store

You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. However, it is recommended to eat it as soon as possible, as it loses its texture over time. There are also ways to prevent it from changing in texture over time.

Tips on how to make

• When preparing the dough for shiratama 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.
• It is recommended that dumpling dough be slightly concaved in the center after forming the dumpling. This makes it easier for the center of the dumpling to be cooked and facilitates the adherence of zunda paste.
• When boiling the dough for shiratama dango, boil it slowly over medium or low heat. This will make it come out soft.

Recipe Card