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So, after I did some research on the subject, I found a few different dango recipes. Dango, for any uncertain as to what I am talking about, is a sweet dumpling snack/dessert made out of rice flour, and typically served with tea. Some recipes called for tofu, others were just special forms of rice flour and water, etc. Eventually I came across a recipe online that seemed simple and had a step-by-step video. It didn't turn out half bad. It should be noted that I didn't find every exact ingredient for this recipe. I used a few variations as I live in America, and unfortunately I don't live in Pittsburgh near Lotus Foods anymore (a really cool market for Asian foods). Sticky Rice Powder - I just used plain old white rice flour. It's all I could find (And I didn't find any at Walmart. Normally I would've used the brand with the red text and the pegasus on the bag. Instead I went to Heinins and got Red Mill brand. It's a bit on the pricey side, so if you want to try to make this yourself look for the cheaper alternative first). Sugar - In this video, though it doesn't specify, it looks like it uses raw sugar instead of white sugar. Really it shouldn't make too much of a difference, but I used white sugar in my recipe. Green Tea Powder - it was pretty difficult for me to find the right tea to use. I didn't find any instant powder by itself, unfortunately. I substituted a green tea mix which used green tea powder as the main ingredient (which sounds easy, but there was only one brand I found at Walmart, which was 4C brand. It's sweetened with honey and splenda, so this made the green dango really sweet, but also more flavorful. I wouldn't say they were overly sweet, but when consuming dango with tea, I would prefer it to be toned down). Other recipes I've seen have this ingredient replaced with green food coloring, which would probably be the better alternative for those who can't find plain green tea powder. Tofu - This video didn't specify the type of tofu to use, but it should be noted I used soft tofu instead of firm tofu. This type of dango with three colors is apparently called Hanari Dango. ---------------- Now, while I made this dough for all of the dango I made at home, I also tried to make Mitarashi Dango. Basically for this type of dango, I left the dough plain with no food coloring or tea mix. I made a simple sauce for it from this video here at 2:42 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5h7o6p2os4 Red Mill also makes potato starch, so for this sauce I had all of the ingredients needed. While the person in this video over-cooked their sauce, I managed to get it to a proper consistency. PRO TIP: When thickening with potato starch, the sauce does not need to come to a boil in order to thicken (unlike with corn starch where the starch must be dissolved in water before-hand and then brought to a boil). This sauce's ingredients can be combined all at once, mixed, and then brought to the stove. As for how not to kill your sauce, be sure to remove it from heat right when the sauce begins to thicken. Don't worry if you think it looks a bit too runny. Because this sauce is cooked in such a small amount, the residual heat from the pan will continue to thicken the sauce after the pan has been removed from the heat. It's actually a pretty important step, so if anyone here dares to try this, keep this in mind. ------------ It also should be noted that after the dango were removed from the boiler, I placed them in an ice-bath to cool for five minutes (as suggested in the second video). The outsides did seem a bit moist, so I would recommend allowing them to air-dry on a plate with a paper towel underneath (or just allow them to cool on their own instead. I just thought the ice-bath was a faster method). The tea I made to pair with these was green tea. I found a brand that only used green tea leaves in the ingredients list, and instead of pouring hot water over the tea bags, I instead ripped the bags open and boiled the tea leaves with the water in a tea pot. It gives the tea more flavor, in my opinion. I also strained the leaves out with a small fine-mesh strainer as I poured the tea into my mug. Thoughts on the two types of dango I made: Hanari Dango: As for how everything turned out - it was yummy, but plain. Don't get me wrong, it was an enjoyable treat coupled with the green tea I made. However, the dango on their own do taste plain (aside from the green ones as previously mentioned). I wouldn't mind trying to make something similar to this kind of dango again, but I would like to try making it with some other flavoring such as vanilla or lemon zest. They're not bad, but they don't have much flavor. It's a nice compliment to tea, though, so for anyone who loves a good cup of tea, but doesn't want an overpowering snack to go with it; I would recommend this form of dango. Mitarashi Dango: I prefered this dango to the Hanari. The dango themselves are plain, however the sauce compliments it nicely giving it a nice soy sauce flavor. Again, the sauce itself isn't overly sweet, so it also pairs nicely with tea in my opinion. Overall thoughts: For anyone with a sweet tooth, dango isn't for you (at least not these recipes anyway). They are, however, filling (I only ate six dango [two skewers] before I was beginning to fill up). Also, if you don't have/want skewers, you can use chopsticks instead. It might not be as elegant, but it does work for holding three dango in place. As for me, I still have tofu, rice flour and potato starch left over, so I'll probably make these again (and maybe alter the recipe a bit for flavoring experimentation). GET OFF MY LAWN! ~Tekulo <3
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