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Dango-jiru
Dumplings in miso soup
Dango-jiru (だんご汁): Oita's hand-stretched flour dumplings in miso soup with root vegetables
In Oita prefecture on Kyushu, dango-jiru is a grandmother's winter supper: a soft wheat dough is rested, then pulled by hand into long, flat ribbons and dropped straight into a miso soup of taro, burdock, carrot, daikon and mushrooms. Oita cooks usually use mild barley miso and often add pork or chicken; this vegetarian version uses kombu-shiitake dashi and fried tofu instead. A bowl gives about 13 g of protein, from the dumplings, miso and tofu, so it is not high-protein. The common mistake is stretching the dough before it has rested: it springs back and tears. Give it at least 30 minutes. Chef's tip: keep the rested dough pieces in a bowl of water and stretch them with wet hands; they pull out long and thin without breaking.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dumplings
- 9 oz plain flour
- ½ cup water
- ¼ tsp salt
For the soup
- ½ oz kombu
- 1.4 litres water
- 4 taro (satoimo)peeled, cut into chunks
- ½ burdock root (gobo)scrubbed, shaved into thin slivers and soaked in water
- 1 carrotsliced
- 5 ½ oz daikoncut into thin quarter-moons
- 1 aburaage (fried tofu pouch)cut into strips
- 2 ½ oz barley miso or white miso
- 2 spring onionssliced
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 9 oz plain flour, ¼ tsp salt and ½ cup water into a soft dough and knead for 5 minutes, until smooth like an earlobe. Divide into 12 pieces, roll each into a sausage, coat lightly with oil and leave covered for 30–60 minutes.
5 minStep 2: Soak ½ oz kombu and 4 dried shiitake mushrooms in 1.4 litres water for 30 minutes, then heat slowly and remove the kombu just before it boils. Slice the shiitake and put them back.
35 minStep 3: Drain ½ burdock root (gobo) and add it to the pot with 4 taro (satoimo), 1 carrot and 5 ½ oz daikon. Simmer for 12–15 minutes, until the taro is tender when pierced with a skewer.
15 minStep 4: Pick up a piece of dough with wet hands and pull and flatten it between your fingers into a ribbon about 2 cm wide, 3 mm thick and 25–30 cm long. Drop it straight into the simmering soup. Repeat quickly with the rest.
Step 5: Add 1 aburaage (fried tofu pouch) and simmer for 5–6 minutes, until the dumplings float, turn slightly translucent and are chewy but not doughy in the middle.
6 minStep 6: Turn the heat to low. Whisk 2 ½ oz barley miso or white miso with a ladle of broth until smooth, stir it in and add 2 spring onions. Heat for 1 minute without boiling and serve.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 400 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 74 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dango-jiru take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of dried shiitake mushrooms?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
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