Mitarashi Kushi Dango Food

MITARASHI KUSHI DANGO

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Preheat a steamer. Combine both types of rice flour and sugar in a bowl.
• Gradually pour the hot water, constantly stirring with a spatula until you've achieved a rough dough.
• Slowly knead with clean hands until the dough becomes smooth. The texture should feel like squeezing an earlobe.
• Divide dough into 15 equal small pieces and roll each into a small ball.
• Place dumplings in preheated steamer and steam on high heat for about 10 minutes.
• Allow the dumplings to cool off a little until you're able to handle, and slide 3 onto each bamboo skewer.
• Mix water, sugar, and soy sauce in a saucepan . Bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Pour katakuriko starch, or cornstarch slurry, into sauce, stirring well. Bring to a boil again and turn off heat.
• Pan-fry skewered dumplings on non-stick pan or on top of hot grill until slightly grill-marked.
• Brush the mitarashi sauce over the dumplings and serve right away.

KUSHI DANGO (JAPANESE SKEWERED RICE DUMPLINGS) WITH MITARASHI SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a pot with water over medium heat to a boil. Prepare a small bowl of ice water.
• Meanwhile, mix rice flour and sugar for dough in a bowl until well blended. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring well after each addition, until dough is squishy but firm.
• Dust a work surface with cornstarch. Set dough on top and knead until smooth. Pull off small amounts of dough and roll into small, uniform balls (dumplings). Use up all the dough this way.
• Drop a handful of rice dumplings into the boiling water at a time. Cook until dumplings rise to the top, 3 to 5 minutes. Once they have risen to the top, cook for 2 more minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately drop them into the bowl of ice water.
• Remove dumplings from the ice water and thread 3 to 4 a skewer. Repeat with remaining dumplings, adding more ice to the water for the cooling stage once as needed.
• Prepare sauce: Combine 1 cup water, sugar, and soy sauce in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until sugar dissolves. Stir together cornstarch and 1 1/2 tablespoons water in a small bowl and add to the soy sauce mixture. Cook, stirring, until sauce thickens, then remove from heat and cool slightly.
• Heat a griddle over medium heat. Once hot, grill skewered dumplings on both sides until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Remove to a plate and pour cooled mitarashi sauce on top. Serve.