Three colour dango dumplings

Ease:: Simple
Serves:: 3-4
Prep time:: 10 minutes
Cook time:: 10 minutes
Total time:: 20 minutes

Sweet Japanese dumplings, or dango, are bite-size balls of mochi rice often seen in cafes or at festivals. Make your own with this easy recipe.

Ingredients

160g joshinko non-glutinous rice flour

40g shiratamako glutinous rice flour

60g sugar

200ml hot water

1 tsp matcha green tea powder

red food colouring

Method

Mix the dango mixture: Mix together 160g joshinko non-glutinous rice flour, 40g shiratamako glutinous rice flour and 60g sugar. Add 200ml hot water little by little, mixing well until the mixture takes on the consistency of an earlobe. This is the traditional way to describe the perfect texture for your dango mixture.

Knead the dough: Cover the bowl you mixed your dango mixture in and microwave for 3 minutes. Using damp hands or alternatively a dampened pestle from a suribachi, knead the dough.

Divide the dough into thirds: Add the food colouring to one third and the matcha to another third. The last one will be left as is. If the matcha powder is too hard to combine, add a little water to the matcha powder to make a paste before mixing in.

Make the dango balls: Dampen your hands again and roll the dough into 6 evenly sized balls for each colour. Thread one of each colour onto a bamboo skewer and serve as a sweet treat.