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Hanami dango (three-colour dumplings)
Pink, white and green rice dumplings on skewers for cherry-blossom picnics
When the cherry trees bloom in late March and April, families and colleagues spread blankets under the branches for hanami, and these skewers of pink, white and green dumplings are the sweet that goes with them. The colours tell the story of the season: pink buds on top, white for the fading snow, and green for the summer leaves still to come. They are lightly sweet and pleasantly chewy, with a faint grassiness from the matcha, and need no sauce; just bring a flask of green tea. Mochi is very sticky: cut the dumplings into small pieces for young children and older people, and make sure they chew well and eat sitting down. Chef's tip: add the water a spoonful at a time and stop when the dough feels like a soft earlobe, since rice flours vary a lot in how much they drink.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
- 3 ½ oz joshinko (rice flour)
- 1 oz caster sugar
- ¾ cup warm waterabout; add as needed
For the colours
- ¼ tsp beetroot powderor a drop of natural pink colouring
- ½ tsp matcha powdermixed with 1 tsp water
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What you'll need
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Soak 8 bamboo skewers in water. Mix 3 ½ oz shiratamako (glutinous rice flour), 3 ½ oz joshinko (rice flour) and 1 oz caster sugar in a bowl, then work in ¾ cup warm water a spoonful at a time, kneading, until the dough is smooth, soft and no longer cracks at the edges.
6 minStep 2: Divide the dough into three equal pieces. Knead ¼ tsp beetroot powder into one until evenly pink and ½ tsp matcha powder into another until evenly green; leave the third white.
4 minStep 3: Roll each colour into 8 balls, about 2.5 cm across, and keep them under a damp cloth so they don't dry out.
6 minStep 4: Bring a large pan of water to the boil over a high heat. Drop in one colour at a time, starting with the white, and stir gently so they don't stick. Common mistake: tipping in all 24 at once. The water stops boiling and the dumplings sink, stick and turn gluey.
2 minStep 5: When the dumplings float, cook them for 2–3 minutes more, until slightly glossy and the colours look brighter, then lift them into a bowl of iced water.
12 minStep 6: After 2 minutes, drain the dumplings and pat dry. Thread them on the skewers in the order green, white, pink, with pink at the top, and eat on the day; they firm up overnight.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 110 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does hanami dango (three-colour dumplings) take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 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.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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