Skewered dumplings made with rice flour and glutinous rice flour, Hanami Dango are common snacks loved throughout cherry blossom viewing in Japan. These chewy dumplings in three colours (sanshoku dango) are available in pink, white, and inexperienced springtime hues. With only a contact of sweetness, this conventional Japanese confectionery pronounces the arrival of spring. {vegan pleasant}
As spring approaches, Japan turns right into a shade of pink. It’s a time of renewal of life and wonder, and we rejoice this flip of the season with cherry blossom viewing (or Hanami in Japanese). A practice that dates again as early because the eighth century.
Throughout the cherry blossom viewing, the Japanese additionally take pleasure in various kinds of wagashi (conventional confectionery) together with Hanami Dango (花見団子).
What’s Hanami Dango?
Dango (団子) is a Japanese skewered candy dumpling made with rice flour and glutinous rice flour.
Hanami (花見) means flower viewing (of cherry blossom), and through this season, many individuals exit for strolls by the magnificent columns of the flowering timber.
The Japanese have lengthy celebrated and admired the fantastic thing about cherry blossoms by having picnics beneath the blooms. On the picnics, we take pleasure in spring-themed meals in bento and wagashi which regularly incorporate seasonal flavors.
One of many common sweets you’ll find at pop-up meals stalls through the cherry blossom season is hanami dango (花見団子). The dumplings are available in pink, white, and inexperienced springtime hues, so they’re additionally known as sanshoku dango (三色団子).
Why Pink, White, and Inexperienced Colours?
There are a number of theories on why the hanami dango is skewered in a selected order of pink, white, and inexperienced from the highest. Listed below are two common theories:
- The life cycle of cherry blossoms: Pink buds, white flowers, after which inexperienced leaves.
- The surroundings of the spring arrival: Crimson solar or pink cherry blossoms, leftover snow, and yomogi (mugwort) or inexperienced sprouts beneath the snow.
Which concept do you suppose is appropriate? They each sound good to me because the hanami dango brings happiness within the spring season.
Historical past of Hanami Dango
The historical past of hanami dango overlaps with the historical past of cherry blossom viewing.
The ritual began to emerge when Toyotomi Hideyoshi served his friends hanami dango as a tea confectionery on the cherry blossom viewing social gathering known as Daigo no Hanami, which was held at Daigoji Temple in Kyoto on March 15, 1833.
Till then, cherry blossom viewing was not a celebration the place individuals loved food and drinks, however extra like an aristocratic pastime composing songs and having fun with dances and music. From this level on, the customized of consuming and consuming whereas admiring the blossoms turned widespread among the many widespread individuals, and hanami dango got here to be an indispensable Japanese confectionery for cherry blossom viewing.
Elements for Hanami Dango
I’ll speak concerning the varieties of rice flour within the part under, however listed here are the substances you’ll must make the genuine hanami dango.
- Joshinko (上新粉) – Japanese short-grain rice flour
- Shiratamako (白玉粉) – Japanese short-grain glutinous rice flour, also referred to as candy rice flour
- Sugar – I exploit granulated sugar
- Crimson meals coloring – I exploit powder sort, however you should use gel
- Matcha (inexperienced tea powder) or yomogi (mugwort)
The right way to Make Hamami Dango
Discover the recipe card under for detailed directions.
- Combine the joshinko, shiratamako, and sugar in a bowl.
- Regularly add the measured boiling water and blend till properly mixed.
- Divide the dough into thirds. Then, shade one dango ball with a bit of little bit of crimson meals coloring and the subsequent one with matcha (or yomogi). Hold the final one plain.
- Divide every dough into 6 equal items and form them into a pleasant, spherical ball.
- Prepare dinner the dumplings (dango) in boiling water. Then, skewer the dumplings onto a bamboo skewer. Serve instantly.
Study Totally different Varieties of Rice Flour
In the event you by no means made dango or mochi desserts, you won’t be accustomed to the various kinds of rice flour utilized in Japanese desserts. On this part, let’s discuss 4 differing types of Japanese short-grain rice flour and glutinous rice flour.
- Joshinko (上新粉)
- Shiratamako (白玉粉)
- Mochiko (餅粉)
- Dangoko (団子粉)
Joshinko and Shiratamako
Dango (だんご, 団子) is historically made with joshinko (上新粉) or short-grain rice flour, which is fabricated from uruchimai (うるち米). That is why dango and mochi are completely different as mochi is made with glutinous rice or glutinous rice flour, which is fabricated from mochigome (もち米).
I discover dango made solely with joshinko a bit too chewy and difficult. So after I make dango at house, I all the time combine each rice flour and glutinous rice flour to realize the right texture for the dango.
- Johshinko (上新粉) – The rice flour made out of short-grain rice (uruchimai うるち米). Purchase from Amazon.
- Shiratamako (白玉粉) – The gluteinous rice flour made out of short-grain glutinous rice (mochigome もち米). Although it’s known as “flour,” it’s extra like coarse granules. Purchase from Amazon.
My advice is an equal proportion: 50% rice flour and 50% glutinous rice flour. The mix offers you a bouncy, chewy texture, but it surely received’t be too sticky like mochi. In the event you want a softer, mochi-like texture, you are able to do 40% rice flour and 60% glutinous rice flour.
🚨 Please do not forget that all these flours are made out of Japanese short-grain rice. The glutinous rice flour present in Asian grocery shops is usually made out of long-grain rice. Our readers have instructed us that they don’t yield the identical consequence as a result of the feel and taste are fairly completely different. The place do we discover Japanese short-grain ones? You should purchase them on Amazon (hyperlink above) or from well-stocked Japanese grocery shops.
Mochiko
One of the best substitute for shiratamako can be mochiko as this product is extensively obtainable right here within the U.S. You should purchase it on Amazon and even in American grocery shops.
Though shiratamako and mochiko are each “glutinous rice flour” (additionally known as “candy rice flour”), the outcomes are barely completely different, particularly in texture and taste. Shiratamako yields a clean, extra refined, and chewy/bouncy texture whereas mochiko yields a delicate, elastic texture and a bit bland style.
Most Japanese recipes use shiratamako over mochiko for a superior texture and taste.
Dangoko (Dango Flour)
On the Japanese grocery retailer, you could discover one other sort of flour known as dangoko (団子粉). This can be a mixture of rice flour and glutinous rice flour, however the ratio is unknown (as much as the producer).
If in case you have hassle discovering each joshinko and shiratamako to make your individual 50/50 mix (like I confirmed in my recipe), shopping for a bundle of dangoko is a good different. Nonetheless, for my part, the feel of the dango is firmer. That is in all probability as a result of the mix makes use of extra rice flour than glutinous rice flour as an alternative of fifty/50.
Use These Bamboo Skewers for Dumplings
You will have 6-inch (15 cm) bamboo skewers. If you have already got longer skewers at house, you’ll be able to trim them right down to 6-inch items. There are two varieties: spherical skewers and sq. skewers with a paddle. I exploit spherical skewers for this recipe.
The right way to Shade the Dumplings in Pink and Inexperienced
The Pink Dumplings
Historically the pink dumplings had been coloured utilizing purple shiso (赤紫蘇), salt-pickled cherry blossoms, or fruit of cape jasmine (kuchinashi クチナシ). These pure meals coloring choices will be tougher to entry exterior of Japan.
So for this recipe, I like utilizing powdered meals coloring as I can have higher management after I add it to the meals. I used this powdered food coloring I purchased from Amazon.
In the event you want pure meals coloring, I like to recommend utilizing beet juice or floor freeze-dried strawberry/raspberry to dye the dumplings pink.
The Inexperienced Dumplings
The inexperienced dumplings are flavored and coloured historically with yomogi or mugwort in Japan. It’s in all probability laborious to search out yomogi exterior of Japan however you should buy this yomogiko (mugwort powder) on Amazon.
For this recipe, I used matcha powder (inexperienced tea powder) so it’s a lot simpler to make. My favourite tea store, Ippodo Tea from Kyoto, sells matcha you will get on Amazon.
The right way to Get pleasure from Hanami Dango
Hanami dango is loved by itself with none toppings or sauce. If in case you have by no means tried this Japanese conventional candy, you could discover it a bit bland.
In the event you like, take pleasure in these dumplings with anko (candy crimson bean paste).
Have you ever heard of a Japanese expression or proverb “Hana yori dango” (花より団子)? It means “dumplings over flowers” and it’s used for somebody who values practicality and substance over refinement and look.
Are you the one who involves see cherry blossoms and is extra considering consuming hanami dango than in admiring flowers? I’m!
Different Scrumptious Japanese Sweets
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Hanami Dango
Skewered dumplings made with rice flour and glutinous rice flour, Hanami Dango are common snacks loved throughout cherry blossom viewing in Japan. These chewy dumplings in three colours (sanshoku dango) are available in pink, white, and inexperienced springtime hues. With only a contact of sweetness, this conventional Japanese confectionery pronounces the arrival of spring.
Elements
For the Dumplings Utilizing Joshinko and Shiratamako
For Coloring the Dumplings
For the Dumplings Utilizing Dangoko (Elective)
For the Yomogi Dango Model (Elective)
Forestall your display screen from going darkish
Directions
To Make the Dough
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Mix ⅔ cup joshinko (Japanese rice flour), ¾ cup shiratamako (glutinous rice flour/candy rice flour), and ⅓ cup sugar (or 7 oz dangoko (Japanese rice dumpling flour) and ⅓ cup sugar) in a big bowl.
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Utilizing chopsticks, combine all of it collectively till properly blended. Subsequent, add in ⅔ cup boiling water (or ⅔ cup water (chilly) for the dangoko) a bit of bit at a time whereas mixing with chopsticks. Please word: You might not want to make use of your complete measured quantity of scorching water. In the event you add an excessive amount of water, your dough will likely be too delicate.
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The flours will begin to stick collectively and ultimately kind clumps. When your dough reaches this stage, cease including the water.
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Utilizing your arms, mix the dough into one ball.
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Knead by hand till the dough turns into clean. If wanted, add a tiny little bit of scorching water to select up any residue within the bowl (I didn’t use all of the measured scorching water).
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The feel of the completed dough ought to really feel much like an earlobe. The “texture of an earlobe” is such a humorous description, however that’s how we test the consistency in Japan. The dough shouldn‘t be too delicate. It‘s barely on the dry aspect. Tip: In the event you add an excessive amount of water, your dough will likely be too delicate. If that occurs, add extra joshinko.
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Utilizing a kitchen scale, weigh the dough. Utilizing a bench scraper or knife, divide it into thirds. Put two of the items in separate bowls.
To Prepare dinner the Dumplings
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Put together a bowl of iced water simply earlier than cooking the dumplings. First, we’ll prepare dinner the light-colored white and pink dumplings. As soon as the water within the pot is boiling, shortly re-roll every white or pink dumpling into a pleasant, spherical ball earlier than you gently drop them into the pot. Stir the balls sometimes so that they don’t keep on with the underside of the pot.
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Prepare dinner the dumplings till they begin floating, about 7–8 minutes. The dumplings will keep close to the underside of the pot at first, however they’ll float as soon as they’re cooked. After they rise to the highest, boil them for a further 1 minute.
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Take away the white and pink dumplings from the pot and instantly place them in iced water for 15–30 seconds so that they cease cooking and are cool sufficient to deal with. Then, drain them properly and switch to a plate or tray moistened with water. Tip: Don‘t hold the dumplings too lengthy within the iced water or they’ll get laborious. Additionally, moist the plate or tray so the dumplings don‘t stick.
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Subsequent, work on the inexperienced dumplings and repeat the identical course of. As you see, the boiling water adjustments shade, so I like to recommend beginning with the light-colored white and pink dumplings; don‘t prepare dinner all three colours on the identical time.
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Take away the cooked inexperienced dumplings from the pot and instantly place them in iced water for 15–30 seconds to cease the cooking and funky barely. Then, switch to a plate moistened with water.
To Assemble the Hanami Dango
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Thread one dumpling of every shade onto a skewer. Begin with the inexperienced dumpling first, then a white dumpling subsequent, and end with a pink dumpling on the tip. For a great presentation, hold the tip of the skewer hidden throughout the pink dumpling. Proceed with the remainder of the skewers and put aside. Tip: In case your arms get sticky from dealing with the moist dumplings, you’ll be able to wash the starch off your arms every so often.
To Serve
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Serve the Hanami Dango at room temperature. For the reason that Hanami Dango is moderately delicate tasting with only a contact of delicate sweetness, I typically serve it with sweet red bean paste (non-compulsory) on the aspect.
To Retailer
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Choice 1: After you kind the dough into spherical dumplings, you’ll be able to retailer the raw dumplings in a single layer in an hermetic container and freeze as much as a month. While you use them, boil the frozen dango with out defrosting.
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Choice 2: After boiling and cooling the dumplings, pat them dry and pack them so they do not contact one another into an hermetic container. Freeze for as much as a month. While you use them, microwave or boil till they’re heat.
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Choice 3: Put the leftovers in an hermetic container and hold at room temperature for as much as 2 days. In the event you dwell in a scorching local weather, discover a cool place to retailer it, however not within the fridge because the dango will turn into too robust. Get pleasure from it inside 24–36 hours.
For the Elective Yomogi Dango Model
Vitamin
Vitamin Details
Hanami Dango
Quantity per Serving
% Day by day Worth*
* P.c Day by day Values are based mostly on a 2000 calorie weight loss program.
Editor’s Word: This submit was initially printed on March 21, 2017. It was up to date with the revised recipe and new pictures on March 12, 2023. It was republished with extra useful content material on March 19, 2024.
