Mitarashi Dango

Step 1

Whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the sweet rice flour, white rice flour, and sugar to a mixing bowl. Whisk until combined.

Step 2

Next, pour in the water and knead using your hands until it forms a firm dough. If it's too dry, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time until the dough is firm but not crumbly.

Step 3

Scoop out balls of dough. Using a measuring spoon, scoop out 2 teaspoons of dough.Gently roll each ball between the palms of your hands until smooth, and transfer them to a plate.

Step 4

Cook. To cook the dumplings, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the dumplings and cook for about 3 minutes. I recommend stirring with a spoon to create a vortex and prevent the balls from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Once the dumplings are floating, cook for one more minute.

Step 5

Drain and rinse. Fill a bowl with ice-cold water and transfer the cooked dumplings into it using a slotted spoon. This will stop the cooking process. You can then drain the dumplings and transfer them to a plate lined with plastic wrap.

Step 6

Skewer. Pierce 4 dumplings onto a small skewer. Repeat with the remaining dumplings and place the skewers on a plate lined with plastic wrap to prevent sticking.

Step 7

Toast. Working with one skewer at a time, char the rice dumplings evenly until lightly charred. To do so, you can use a kitchen blowtorch or grill the dumplings on the stove over an open flame. Be careful not to burn yourself!

Step 8

Transfer the charred dango to a serving plate and top with the Mitarashi sauce. Serve immediately!

Step 9

Combine the ingredients. Add the sugar, soy sauce, mirin, and water to a saucepan. Whisk together the cornstarch with the water in a small bowl and set aside.

Step 10

Let simmer. Bring the sauce to a boil and let it simmer for about 1 minute or until the sugar dissolves.

Step 11

Thicken. Pour in the cornstarch slurry and whisk until the sauce thickens.