Mitarashi Dango — skewered rice dumplings in soy-sugar glaze

i. Origin & history

The name comes from the Mitarashi pond at Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto, where the dumplings were reportedly first sold in the Kamakura period. The four dumplings on a skewer are said to represent a person's body — head, torso, hands, legs.

ii. Ingredients

Makes 8 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 150 g shiratamako (sweet rice flour)
• 30 g sugar
• 135 ml water
• 100 ml water
• 30 g sugar
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp tapioca or cornstarch (mixed with 4 tbsp water)
• 8 wooden skewers

iii. Method

1. Mix shiratamako, 30 g sugar, and 135 ml water to a smooth, soft dough. Knead briefly.
2. Roll into 32 small balls. Boil in plenty of water until they float (3-4 min). Drain and cool briefly in iced water; pat dry.
3. Thread 4 balls onto each skewer.
4. Make the glaze: combine 100 ml water, 30 g sugar, soy and mirin in a small pan. Bring to a boil. Whisk in the starch slurry; cook until glossy and thick. Cool slightly.
5. Grill or broil the skewers until just charred at the high points — 90 seconds a side.
6. Brush generously with glaze and serve immediately.

iv. Tips & common mistakes

• Iced water shock. Plunging cooked dango into iced water firms them.
• Grill briefly. A light char gives the toasty edge without drying out the dumplings.
• Glaze just before eating. Glazed too early, they go gummy.

v. Variations

An dango uses red-bean paste instead of glaze. Hanami dango uses three coloured dumplings (pink, white, green) for cherry-blossom season. Yaki dango with soy alone is a simpler street version.

vii. More from Japanese

• Daifuku — mochi with bean filling
• Mochi — foundational rice cake
• Anpan — sweet-bean buns
• Monaka — wafer-bean sandwiches
• Red Bean Mochi — anko-stuffed mochi
• Zenzai — red-bean soup