Hanami Dango 花見団子

today is chinese mid-autumn and chuseok (korean thanksgiving day). i wanted to make songpyeon initially, a kind of crescent shaped korean rice cake which also has three colors but i didn't hv any pine needles so i decided to make these instead. though its not exactly a suitable time since hanami dango is made during the cherry blossom viewing season in spring where its a big event and widely celebrated in japan, i'm still glad i made these coz they're really quite good.

i think to be able to find a hanami dango recipe online is pretty rare coz i've only seen just one out there. tastewise i really like the texture of the dango. they're made with an equal mixture of joshinko (non-glutinous rice flour), mochiko (glutinous rice flour) and corn starch so unlike mochi, these are firmer and more chewy. they are also quite sweet eaten on their own but with a cup of hot green tea, they're perfect.

recipe source : sauce magazine

ingredients (makes 5 skewers) :

½ cup joshinko (non-glutinous rice flour)

½ cup mochiko (glutinous rice flour)

½ cup cornstarch

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

½ Tbsp. yomogi (japanese mugwort) or matcha powder

dash red food coloring & rose or sakura essence, for the pink dango

1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)

directions :

1. in a bowl, whisk joshinko, mochiko, cornstarch and sugar together with a fork. add 1 cup of water and blend until smooth. divide batter into 3 ¾-cup portions. in a medium saucepan, heat 1 portion of batter on low, stirring constantly until the batter pulls away from the sides of the pan to form a solid mass. set aside. this will be used for the white dango.

2. to make the green dango, add the yomogi to the next batter portion. heat it on low, stirring constantly until the batter pulls away to form a solid mass. set aside. to make the pink dango, add the food coloring, essence and vanilla extract (if using) to the remaining batter portion, blending well. repeat the steps to cook. after the dough cools, knead each portion separately in clean wet hands and roll each portion into 20g balls. Thread the balls onto skewers in order of green, white and pink.

3. bring water to a boil in a steamer basket. place the skewers on a lightly greased plate, ½ inch apart. steam on high for 10 to 12 minutes. cool.