Dango
Credit to the Original Owner
What is hanami dango?
Hanami dango is a year round dessert that is enjoyed most commonly during the cherry blossom viewing season in Japan. This coincides with the beginning of spring, and the three colors are said to symbolize the pink of the spring cherry blossoms, the white of the winter snow, and the green of the summer grass. They are made with sweet rice flour and are bright, chewy, soft, and delicious.
Hanami Dango
Ingredients
Joshinko glutinous rice flour– The Dango base
Shiratamako glutinous sweet rice flour– The Dango base and also to add sweetness
Powdered sugar- this is optional but recommended.
Hot water– This creates the dough to form the dango
Matcha powder– For flavor and color
Pink food coloring– For color. Use the gel kind.
Instructions
Soak the skewers. First, soak the 12 bamboo skewers in water.
Mix the rice flour and water. Place the rice flours into a bowl and then pour in the hot water. Begin mixing with a spoon, and then when it starts to take shape, use your hands to mold the dango dough together. Add a little more flour or water if needed. The dough should feel like clay or play-doh, but softer.
Divide the dough.
Evenly divide the dango dough into three pieces. Place each one into a separate bowl.
Color the pink dough. Add 1 drop of pink food coloring to one piece of dough and work it in until there is no more white.
Color the green dough. Now add 1 teaspoon of water to the matcha powder and mix to make a paste. Then add it to another piece of dough and work it in well. The last piece of dough should remain white.
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Shape the dough into balls.
Begin shaping the dough into balls. Each ball should be 20 grams, weighed on a kitchen scale. The recipe makes about 36 balls.
Cook the white dango balls. Bring a pot of water to a boil and begin cooking the white balls first. Once they rise to the top of the pot, continue cooking them for another 2 minutes.
Cool the dango balls. Once cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer the steamed dango to a bowl of ice water.
Repeat with the pink and green balls. Continue this process with the pink and then the green dango to avoid staining the water.
Skewer the dango. Place the balls on the bamboo skewers, making sure to place the green ones on first, then the white, and the pink ones last. Serve as they are or add a topping.
Tips for the best Hanami Dango
Soak the skewers first– This step is important because it will make it easier to slide the dango balls onto the skewer later.
Measure with a kitchen scale- For accuracy, measure the flour on a kitchen scale. This will help you get the right texture for your dango dough because it will be more exact. Also, you can measure your dough balls so they are equal in size.
Soften the dango with tofu- If you prefer a softer texture, you can substitute the water in this recipe with silken tofu. Just make sure the texture remains similar to a soft play-doh.
Only add one drop of food coloring- The color of the hanami dango will intensify as it cooks, so try not to add more than a drop of pink food coloring or too much matcha, unless you want them to be very, very bright.
Cook them in the right order– Start with the white, then the pink, and then the green last, lightest to darkest. This is so the colors don’t stain the water and change the color of the dango.
How to Store Dango
You can store this easy Hanami Dango in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. A cool place to store it is fine, but avoid the refrigerator because it will make the dango tough.
CHECK OUT HOW TO MAKE THE TOPPING !
