I made Shiratama dango to celebrate the Sakura (cherry blossom) season in Japan. I miss Japan during this Hanami, Sakura cherry blossom flower viewing season more than any other time.
Every month, there are always some festivals in Japan to appreciate and celebrate beautiful nature in Japan. In spring, there is Hinamatsuri (Girls’ day) in March and Hanami (Sakura cherry blossom) viewing season start in late March and through April every where in Japan. I would love to share this shiratama dango which is often eaten to celebrate those festivals.
There are many varieties of dango served and eaten in Japan. Hanami dango is usually three coloured dango (Sanshoku dando) on skewers. People enjoy this dango on Hanami picnic under beautiful cherry blossom trees. I used to live near the famous Ise shrine for nearly 10 years. The Isuzu river runs through Ise shrine and along the isuzu river bank, where there was a row of cherry blossom trees. We were living near the river so we went to cherry blossom viewing picnic every year. We often bought hanami dango from nearby Japanese sweets shop and ate it sitting on the river bank watching beautiful sakura cherry blossoms. This time of the year, it is pink everywhere in Japan.
So this week, I made Shiratama dango to feel the Hanami spirit to get through a lot of testing, marking, and academic reporting week! Also to comfort myself from stress.
I made this with rice flour and silken tofu and wanted to make it look like a sakura flower. There are two types of tofu, Silken (kinugoshi) and Firm (momen). I explained the difference between those two types in Iri Dofu recipe if you are interested to read. For Shiratama Dango, silken tofu is better for it’s texture. If you can not get tofu at all, you can mix the rice flour with just water. I only made white and pink coloured shiratama dango and instead of using dark coloured an (sweet bean paste) for topping, I used condensed milk. Three coloured dango contains sugar in the dango itself but because condensed milk is sweet enough, I did not add sugar in the dango this time.
Hope you enjoy this beautiful season in Japan with this delicious Shiratama dango <3
Shiratama Dango
Ingredients
- 200 g Rice glutinous flour you can get this from the shop sold as Shiratamako
- 200 g silken tofu
- 1 drop rose colouring
- 1 cup condensed milk
- 1/2 tbsp goji berries to garnish
Instructions
- Place the rice flour and tofu in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix them together and knead until the flour and tofu has mixed well and formed a soft dough.
- Divide the dough into two and drop one rose/pink food colouring on one and knead into the half dough to make it a pink colour.
- Roll out each dough into a long cylinder shape and cut them to 24 pieces each of white and pink dough.
- Shape them into 48 round dango.
- Boil water in a large pot and add the white dango. When they float to the surface of the boiling water, it is cooked.
- Scoop out the flouting dango and put them into an another bowl filled with cold water.
- Repeat the same for the pink dough.
- Drain the water and serve 8 dango each.
- Pour condensed milk over the top and garnish with goji berries.
Thank you for posting your recipes. Just a thought can you sub silken tofu with wet okara??
Hi Tiffanie, I have tried it before but I think the okara texture will not substitute silken tofu 😀
Thanks a lot ms.!
super great!
thank you!
Konichiwa..
Look at the picture make me want to eat dango. Thank you for sharing recipe..
I going to have dango day with my friends someday..
Konnichiwa Ayuna san. Thank you for visiting Chopstick Chronicles 😀 Dango day is great idea!!
Could I serve this with coconut milk instead of condensed milk?
Hi Wai, yes of course. Enjoy!
How lovely!! I love the story and the recipe. I truly appreciate the insight into this sweet and delicious custom!
Thank you Cakespy 😀