Mitarashi Dango みたらし団子

Mitarashi Dango are traditional Japanese rice dumplings smothered in an irresistible sweet soy glaze. The dumplings are skewered on a bamboo stick and enjoyed all-year round. Make this tasty street snack right in your own kitchen!

Also, make sure to check out my Hanami Dango and Shiratama Dango recipes!

Mitarashi Dango (みたらし団子) is a type of dango, sweet rice dumplings, skewered onto a bamboo stick. Typically, there are three to five dumplings (traditionally five) on a skewer and covered with a sweet soy sauce glaze.

It is fairly easy to make these dango at home. These chewy dumplings are mildly sweet and they get a hint of char from grilling. When we brush the glaze over the dumplings, each bite is gooey, savory, and satisfying without being overly sweet. You’ll love the contrasting textures and flavors. They make a fun, delicious snack to go with a hot cup of green tea.

NOTE: If this is your first time making the recipe, I recommend reading through the post as I talked about the types of flours to use and all the FAQs below.

Origin of Mitarashi Dango

Mitarashi dango originated from the Kamo Mitarashi Tea House in Kyoto. The dango was thought to be made as an offering for gods and the name was given after the bubbles of the mitarashi (御手洗) (font of purifying water placed at the entrance of a shrine) of a famous shrine in the city. The street vendors in Kyoto started selling dango as a snack and became popular amongst many visitors.

Today you can find mitarashi dango being sold at supermarkets, convenience stores and specialty sweet shops everywhere in Japan.

Types of Rice Flour to use for Mitarashi Dango

To achieve the perfect texture for the dumplings, you need to use the following types of rice flours:

1. Johshinko (上新粉) –  a flour made from Japanese short-grain rice (uruchimai うるち米).
2. Shiratamako (白玉粉) – a flour made from Japanese short-grain glutinous rice (mochigome もち米).

My recommendation is equal proportion: 50-50 ratio for both flours. The combination will give you the bouncy, chewy but not too sticky texture. If you like the chewy mochi-like texture, you can decrease joshinko to 40% and increase shiratamako to 60%.

But careful not to increase the amount for shiratamako too much, as the dango will get too soft and the texture becomes more like Shiratama Dango. Mitarashi dango needs to be on a firmer side than shiratama dango.

At the Japanese grocery store, you may find the third type of flour called dangoko (団子粉). This is a combination of rice flour and glutinous rice flour and the ratio is unknown; up to the manufacturer. If you have trouble finding the first two types of rice flour, this is another option. However, in my opinion, the texture is firmer, which I assume it’s the result of mixing more rice flour than glutinous rice flour.

Where to buy johshinko and skiratamko?

You can find these flours at your local Japanese grocery store or on Amazon. Some online Asian grocers may carry them.

Can I use mochiko in place of shiratamako and joshinko?

Although mochiko is similar to shiratamako, it’s produced differently. It yields a very soft and tender texture, which is not suitable for dango. However, we’ve had readers who achieved good results with the recipe by adding a spoonful of cornstarch to mochiko.

How about Thai glutinous rice flour?

Thai glutinous rice flour is not at all the same as Japanese glutinous rice flours. It will not turn out right at all. To make the dango, you’ll need the flours I listed above.

Two Ways to Enjoy Dango

Here are the two delicious ways to enjoy the chewy dumplings:

1. Sweet soy glaze – So easy and requires only 5 ingredients: sugar, mirin, soy sauce, water, and potato starch/cornstarch. The sauce should be warm or at room temperature, but not too hot.
2. Sweet red bean paste (anko) – You can’t beat homemade anko, which can be made ahead of time for all your Japanese desserts.

Other FAQs

Q: Is it possible to make the dango a few hours ahead of time?

Sure you can. However, If you like to keep the texture softer and tender for a longer time, you can add sugar to the flours at the start. The recommended amount of sugar is 20% of the flour’s weight which is 40 grams.

If you plan on making the sauce ahead of time, remove it from the heat before the consistency gets too thick because the moisture will evaporate and thicken the sauce as it cools.

Q: Can I store the leftover sweet soy sauce if I make too much?

Yes. You may store it in the refrigerator for 2~3 days or freeze it. Reheat it in the microwave or heat up in a pot to enjoy it again.

More Traditional Japanese Sweets To Enjoy

• Tsukimi Dango
• Hanami Dango
• Green Tea Mochi
• How to Make Mochi with a Stand Mixer
• Strawberry Mochi (Ichigo Daifuku)

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Mitarashi Dango

4.74 from 153 votes

Mitarashi Dango are traditional Japanese rice dumplings smothered in an irresistible sweet soy glaze. The dumplings are skewered on a bamboo stick and enjoyed all-year round. Make this tasty street snack right in your own kitchen!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 45 minutes mins

Servings: 5 skewers (16–17 balls per batch)

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the Dumplings Using Joshinko and Shiratamako

• ▢ ⅔ cup joshinko (Japanese rice flour) (上新粉; made with short-grain rice; see Notes for details; sold at Amazon)
• ▢ ¾ cup shiratamako (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour) (白玉粉; made with short-grain glutinous rice; see Notes for details; sold at Amazon; or substitute mochiko)
• ▢ ⅔ cup boiling water (for the joshinko)

For the Dumplings Using Dangoko

• ▢ 7 oz dangoko (Japanese rice dumpling flour) (団子粉; found at Japanese grocery stores)
• ▢ ⅔ cup water

For the Sweet Soy Glaze

• ▢ 4 Tbsp sugar
• ▢ 2 Tbsp mirin
• ▢ 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• ▢ ⅔ cup water (⅔ cup minus 2 tsp, to be precise)
• ▢ 2 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

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Instructions

 

• Gather the ingredients for the dumplings. Joshinko (上新粉) is flour made with Japanese short-grain rice and shiratamako (白玉粉) is flour made with short-grain glutinous rice; they are different from other Asian varieties. For more details, see Notes at the end of the recipe card. Joshinko and shiratamako are pictured on the left and dangoko (団子粉) is pictured on the right. Whichever you decide to use, the instructions below are the same. 
  
• Gather the ingredients for the sweet soy glaze. Soak the bamboo skewers in water. You can start boiling a large pot of water on low heat (see Step 8).
  

To Make the Rice Dumplings

• Combine ⅔ cup joshinko (Japanese rice flour) and ¾ cup shiratamako (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour) in a bowl. (If you‘re making the dumplings using dangoko, add 7 oz dangoko (Japanese rice dumpling flour) instead to a bowl.) Using chopsticks, mix it all together until well blended.
  
• Stir in some of the ⅔ cup boiling water for the joshinko, a little bit at a time, while mixing with chopsticks. (Or, stir in some of the ⅔ cup water (cold) for the dangoko, a little bit at a time.) Please note: You probably will not use the entire ⅔ cup boiling water for the joshinko or ⅔ cup water for the dangoko.
  
• When the flours start to stick together and eventually form clumps, stop adding water. Using your hands, combine the dough into one ball.
  
• Knead until the dough becomes smooth. The texture is like squeezing an “earlobe“ (that’s how we describe the tenderness of this type of mochi in Japanese).
  
• Form the dough into a ball. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.
  
• Then divide each piece into 2 smaller pieces. You will have 16 equal-sized pieces of dough. I always like to weigh mine. Each ball should be 20 grams. You may have some extra dough, but that’s okay.
  
• Shape each of the dough pieces into a smooth, round ball. If the dough is cracking or has some wrinkles, dip the tip of your finger in water and apply a small amount of water to the cracked area to smooth it out. You now have 16 equal-sized dumplings.
  
• Just before cooking the dumplings, prepare a bowl of iced water. Once the water in the pot is boiling, gently drop each dumpling into the pot with a smooth, continuous arm motion to avoid splashing. Cook them all at once. Stir the balls occasionally so they keep their round shape and don‘t stick to the bottom of the pot.
  
• The dumplings will stay near the bottom of the pot at first, but they will float once cooked. When they rise to the top, boil them for an additional 1–2 minutes.
  
• Transfer the dumplings to the bowl of iced water.
  
• Once the dumplings have cooled, drain them well and transfer them to a tray. Tip: Wet the tray so the dumplings don‘t stick.
  
• Skewer three pieces onto a bamboo skewer. Continue with the rest of the dumplings and set aside.
  

To Make the Sweet Soy Glaze

• In a cold saucepan, add 4 Tbsp sugar, 2 Tbsp mirin, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, ⅔ cup water, and 2 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch. Do not turn on the heat yet.
  
• Mix all the ingredients together well until smooth. The potato starch/cornstarch will become lumpy if you heat the sauce without stirring beforehand. Now, turn on the heat and continue to whisk.
  
• Keep whisking continuously, as the mixture can thicken suddenly.
  
• When the sauce thickens, remove the saucepan from the heat and transfer the sauce to a container or bowl. If you are making it ahead of time, remove the sauce from the heat before the consistency gets too thick. The moisture will continue to evaporate as it cools and thicken the sauce.
  

To Serve

• Optional: If you have a kitchen torch, you can give the Mitarashi Dango a little bit of char for a grilled taste. You can also grill them over direct heat (if you are going to place them on a wire rack, grease it first, as the dumplings tend to stick). You can use a broiler to char the dumplings or use a nonstick frying pan to pan-fry the surface of the dango.
  
• Pour the sweet soy glaze on top of the Mitarashi Dango and serve immediately.
  

To Store

• Option 1: After you form the dough into round dumplings, you can store the uncooked dumplings in a single layer in an airtight container and freeze up to a month. When ready to use, boil the frozen dango without defrosting first.
• Option 2: After boiling and cooling the dumplings, pat them dry and pack them so they don‘t touch each other into an airtight container. Freeze up to a month. When ready to use, microwave or boil them until warm.

Notes

Shiratamako and Joshinko: Shiratamako (白玉粉) is from glutinous Japanese short-grain rice (also known as sweet rice) and joshinko (上新粉) is from regular short-grain Japanese rice. When you make dango with only shiratamako, the texture tends to be too soft; dango made with only joshinko yields a very tough texture. Therefore, it’s best to combine these two flours to make the right dango texture. I do a 50-50 ratio, but if you like elastic, bouncy, chewy texture, you can increase the shiratamako to 60%.

To keep the Mitarashi Dango tender for a longer time: Adding sugar to the dango dough will help them stay softer. The recommended amount of sugar is 20% of flour’s weight (which is 40 grams). If you reduce the amount, it might not be as effective.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Mitarashi Dango

Amount per Serving

Calories

192

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

1

g

2

%

Saturated Fat

 

1

g

6

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Sodium

 

193

mg

8

%

Potassium

 

49

mg

1

%

Carbohydrates

 

41

g

14

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

6

g

7

%

Protein

 

3

g

6

%

Vitamin C

 

1

mg

1

%

Calcium

 

11

mg

1

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Author: Nami

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: dango, wagashi

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