Mitarashi Dango (Dumplings with Sweet Soy Sauce)

Mitarashi Dango is a variety of sweet Japanese rice dumplings grilled and covered in a sweet soy sauce glaze. The soft chewy little balls are stacked on a skewer with the delicious sweet soy glaze coating each one with hints of char grill in every bite. They’re a popular street food snack in Japan that are simply irresistible with their fresh toasted aroma and glossy sauce. Recreate this delicious snack easily at home with this recipe featuring a secret ingredient to make the dango extra soft and bouncy!

What is Mitarashi Dango?

Mitarashi dango is a type of Japanese sweet similar to mochi. Its main ingredients are glutinous rice flour and a sweet soy sauce glaze. It is gently grilled to give it light charring on the outside, which creates a perfect balance of savoury-sweet. It’s said to have originated from the Kamo Mitarashi Tea House in Kyoto.

The name was derived from the water bubbles of the “Mitarashi” where you purify your hands with water at the entrance of a famous shrine in the city called Shimogamo shrine. The dango were used as an offering for the gods and are still served there today as 5 dango on a stick to represent a body and are believed to bring good health.

Mitarashi dango are also found all over Japan at grocery stores, convenience stores, specialty confectionary shops, traditional restaurants, and at food carts run by street vendors who make them fresh before your eyes.

Ingredients Required to Make Mitarashi Dango

Here are the ingredients needed for this mitarashi dango recipe:

For Dango Dumplings

• 上新粉 Joshinko (Rice Flour) : This is the main ingredient for the dango. It’s a fine, powdery flour made from short-grain Japanese rice (uruchimai). It gives the dumplings their chewy texture.
• 白玉粉 Shiratamako (Glutinous Rice Flour) : this sticky rice flour is often mixed with joshinko to add extra chewiness and helps bind the dumplings together.
• Sugar : sugar adds a subtle sweetness to the dango dumplings.  
• Water : The amount of water should be about 90% of the flour weight. You should aim for a dough firmness similar to your ear lobe. So do not add water all in one go. Instead, add the water gradually, watching the consistency of the dough.

Using Shiratamako or Mochiko (another glutinous rice flour) creates very soft dango. If you prefer a firmer, more chewy texture, try using more Joshinko, a non-glutinous type of Japanese rice flour, which creates a tougher texture. Use a 50-50 ratio for this or adjust to your tastes. Alternatively, you can also use glutinous rice flour from Thailand, which may be more accessible. In Australia, you can easily find it in the international aisle at the grocery store. It comes in an easily recognisable green packet. Try checking Asian stores in your country for it.

For Mitarashi Sauce

• Soy Sauce: Provides the savory base for the sauce, giving it a rich umami flavor.
• Sugar: Balances the saltiness of the soy sauce and creates the signature sweet-savory taste.
• Mirin: A sweet rice wine that adds depth and a slight glossiness to the sauce.
• Water: Used to adjust the consistency of the sauce.
• Potato Starch or Cornstarch: Used as a thickening agent to create the right texture of the sauce.
• Honey (optional) : Traditionally, mitarashi dango sauce does not use honey, but adding honey provides a more complex sweetness compared to plain sugar, and the floral notes in honey can add an extra layer of flavor to the sauce.

Ingredients Substitution and Variations

Flour Mix

While the traditional recipe uses a combination of joshinko (non-glutinous rice flour) and shiratamako (glutinous rice flour), you can use Mochiko (sweet rice flour) which is similar to Shiratamako instead.

Sauce Variations

• Using brown sugar or different sugar instead of white caster sugar for a richer flavor
• Use Kaeshi sauce as a base.

Healthier Options

• Adding silken tofu to the flour instead of adding water makes the dango much more soft and squishy. It also adds more protein and gives the dango a delicious chewy texture. This texture is often described with an onomatopoeia in Japanese called “mochimochi”!
• Using alternative sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit in the sauce instead of sugar
• If you would like to make Mitarashi Dango gluten free, use gluten free soy sauce instead of normal soy sauce.

Step by Step Instructions to Make Mitarashi Dango

1. Prepare the Mitarashi Sauce:

• In a small saucepan, combine all sauce ingredients.
• Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
• Stir continuously until the sauce thickens. Set it aside.

2. Prepare the Dango Dough:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine joshinko, shiratamako, and sugar.
• Gradually add water while mixing with a pair of chopsticks until the dough comes together.

3. Shape the Dango:

• Divide the dough into two equal portions. Roll both dough to a thin cylinder shape. Cut it into 12. It will make 24 equal shape pieces.
• Roll each portion into a small ball, about 2.5 cm (1 inch) in diameter.

4. Cook the Dango:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Gently drop the dango balls into the boiling water.
• When they float to the surface, cook for an additional 1-2 minutes to make sure the dango is  cooked through.
• Remove the dango with a slotted spoon.

5. Skewer the Dango:

• Once cooled briefly, thread 5 dango onto each bamboo skewer.

6. Grill and Glaze the Dango:

• Heat a grill pan or frying pan over medium heat.
• Lightly grill the dango skewers, turning them to achieve a slight char on all sides.
• Brush the warm mitarashi sauce over the grilled dango, coating them generously.

7. Serve:

• Place the mitarashi dango on a serving plate.
• Drizzle any remaining sauce over the top.

Enjoy your homemade mitarashi dango while they’re still warm!

Serving Suggestions and Variations

Traditional Serving of Mitarashi Dango:

• Skewered on bamboo sticks, typically 3-5 dango per skewer
• Served warm or at room temperature. In the summer it can be serve chilled.

Modern Presentations:

• Mitarashi Dango Parfait: Layered with ice cream, fruits, and sauce
• Dango Bowl: Served in a bowl with the sauce drizzled over in a deconstructed style

Accompaniments:

• Serve with green tea, mugicha, or hojicha for a traditional pairing
• Matcha latte or hojicha latte.
• As part of a Wagashi dessert platter: Create a Japanese dessert platter by serving mitarashi dango alongside other traditional sweets like mochi, dorayaki, or taiyaki for a tea ceremony or special occasion.

How to Store Mitarashi Dango

Mitarashi dango lose their chewy texture and harden fairly quickly. Therefore they are better consumed freshly when made. But you can also freeze mitarashi dango if you follow these steps. Wrap them individually with plastic wrap and then put them in a ziplock bag. They will keep for about 3-4 weeks in a freezer. It is best to thaw them naturally at room temperature, which takes about 30-60 minutes.

Mitarashi dango is a popular sweets in Japan and one of my favourite types of dango. It tastes amazing served warm or cold with sweet and salty mitarashi sauce. If you love it, you can try other popular types of dango too like 3-colour Hanami Dango, Shiratama dango, or Yomogi Dango served with sweet anko red bean paste.

Don’t forget to check out other types of Dango recipe on Chopstick Chronicles too! Such as Sanshoku (three coloured ) dango, Yomogi dango, and Shiratama dango.

If you liked my recipe for Mitarashi Dango, please rate it and leave a comment below. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Youtube, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with all the latest happenings on Chopstick Chronicles. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #ChopstickChronicles so I can see your wonderful creations!