Easy Homemade Mitarashi Dango Recipe
Jun 10, 2020 • Updated Dec 22, 2023
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This Mitarashi Dango recipe is a traditional Japanese snack made vegan! Dipped in a sweet soy sauce glaze and shaped like an adorable Shiba Inu. This delicious homemade sweet treat is gluten-free, refined-sugar-free, and oil-free.
What is Mitarashi Dango?
Mitarashi Dango is a common Japanese wagashi (dessert) or street snack made of mochi or sweet rice cake on a stick. It’s glazed in a sweet and salty soy-based sauce, and sometimes smokiness/charring is added with a grill, kitchen torch, or pan fry to finish it off.
In Japan, you can find them from street vendors, at festivals, supermarkets, convenience stores, specialty confectionary shops, and more!
Dango can easily be made vegan because the ingredient list is quite simple, and it can also be made gluten-free with an appropriate soy sauce substitute. I’ve made some minor substitutions and landed on this version, which is gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free. Also, it’s much easier to make than you may think!
What Makes This Recipe Great
This recipe is just so easy! All you really need to do is create a dough with sweet rice flour and water, roll it into balls, boil, and coat it with the sauce (which, by the way, comes together in about 4 minutes). I don’t prefer to finish with any type of flame, so from start to finish, you could have this delightful snack ready to eat in about 20 minutes.
If you want to get creative, you can also play around with the shape and design of your dango. Inspired by a photo a friend sent to me from Japan, I went for a Shiba Inu design. You can also add toppings of choice, like toasted sesame seeds, togarashi (Japanese spice blend), or shredded nori.
This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and oil-free. You only need 5 ingredients, so let’s get into it!
Ingredient Notes
- Sweet Rice Flour/Mochiko: Glutinous rice flour, also known as sweet rice flour, is made from glutinous or sticky rice (short-grain rice), which has a higher starch content compared to regular rice. Mochiko is known for its distinctive sticky and chewy texture when cooked, which makes it perfect for this recipe, as well as mochi. You can find it at most Asian grocery stores.
- Gluten-Free Soy Sauce: If you’re not worried about gluten-free, feel free to use regular soy sauce.
- Coconut Sugar
- Arrowroot Flour (or cornstarch)
- Mirin: This is Japanese sweet rice cooking wine.
- Filtered Water
- Toasted Nori Sheet, optional
- Wood Skewers, optional
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prepare a large pot of water over medium high heat and bring to a boil while you prepare your dango dough.
- In a mixing bowl, combine sweet rice flour and water. Start with a spatula and stir to combine, then begin to work the dough with your hands. You want a firm dough that doesn’t stick to your hand, but is workable and sticks to itself. If you need to add additional water, do so by lightly wetting the palms of your hands and kneading again. It’s important not to add too much water, so start with less and add more as needed.
- Once you have a workable dough, divide into 6 pieces and roll into small balls. When the water is boiling, gently drop into the pot and let cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until the dango floats and is cooked all the way through. Strain with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl of cold water while you prepare your sauce.
- In a small bowl, whisk together arrowroot starch with a splash of cold water to form a slurry.
- Next, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine gluten free soy sauce, water, coconut sugar and mirin. Whisk to combine, then add arrowroot starch slurry and continue to stir until sauce thickens. Once the sauce thickens, remove from the heat and set aside.
- Now drain dango again, and skewer 3 pieces on each stick. Glaze with your sweet soy glaze to taste, and enjoy!
Secrets to Success
- Most of these ingredients are easily sourced at Japanese grocery stores. If there’s one in your neighbourhood, or even an Asian grocery store, you should have no problem finding them. Online, all of these ingredients are available as well, and I’ll leave links to online purchase options in the recipe below.
- Dango is best enjoyed on the spot, as sweet rice dumplings tend to firm and harden up over time. This recipe makes enough for about 2 people (or 2 skewers), but you can also double the recipe as you see fit.
- To make a Shiba Inu-shaped dango, remove about a teaspoon-sized portion of dough and set aside. Then divide the remaining dough into 4 equal-sized balls and begin to shape 2 heads and 2 U-shaped booties. To shape, just work the dough like playdough. Using the remaining teaspoon of dough, make tiny tail features to attach after boiling and before glazing. Glaze only the top halves of the face and bottoms, and then use kitchen scissors to cut details out of a toasted nori sheet. It should stick to the dango very easily.
Serving Tips
- Mitarashi dango can be served on their own, as a dessert or snack. These chewy dumplings are often enjoyed as part of a meal or as a treat at festivals.
- If you’re serving them warm, ensure they are still slightly warm when presented.
- If you’re serving them cold or at room temperature, you can present them right after they are skewered.
Storage Tips
- Dango is best enjoyed on the spot, as sweet rice treats tend to firm and harden up over time.
Recipe FAQs
Mitarashi dango is a super yummy blend of sweet, savory, and umami flavors, with a chewy texture. It’s a popular treat in Japan, often enjoyed at festivals, as a snack, or as a dessert.
Mitarashi dango can be served both hot and cold, depending on your preferences. Both versions are unique and delicious and offer sweet and savory flavors from soy glaze and the chewy texture of the rice dumplings.
While these are both glutinous rice flours, they differe in taste and texture and aren’t a perfect swap for mochiko. They differ in texture and flavour, and I don’t really recommend using them.
More Delicious Recipes
Sweet Red Bean Soup with Mochi (Zenzai)
Matcha Bubble Tea (Boba)
If you try this recipe out, tag me on Instagram @veggiekins so I can see your delicious re-creations and feature them! As always, I love it when you share your reviews in the comments below, and if you make any fun substitutions, let me know how it worked out below too.
Homemade Mitarashi Dango Recipe (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sweet rice flour mochiko
- 4 tbsp filtered water at room temperature
- sauce
- 1 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
- 3 tbsp filtered water
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar
- 2 tsp mirin Japanese sweet rice cooking wine
- 1 tsp arrowroot starch or cornstarch
- other
- toasted nori sheet
- wood skewers
Instructions
- Prepare a pot of water over medium high heat and bring to a boil while you prepare your dango dough.
- In a mixing bowl, combine sweet rice flour and water. Start with a spatula and stir to combine, then begin to work the dough with your hands. You want a firm dough that doesn't stick to your hand, but is workable and sticks to itself. If you need to add additional water, do so by lightly wetting your hands and kneading again. It's important not to add too much water, so start with less and add more as needed.
- Once you have a workable dough, divide into 6 pieces and roll into small balls. When the water is boiling, gently drop into the pot and let cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until the dango floats and is cooked all the way through. Strain and transfer to a bowl of cold water while you prepare your sauce.
- In a small bowl, whisk together arrowroot starch with a splash of cold water to form a slurry. Next, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine gluten free soy sauce, water, coconut sugar and mirin. Whisk to combine, then add arrowroot starch slurry and continue to stir until sauce thickens. Once the sauce thickens, remove from the heat and set aside.
- Now drain dango again, and skewer 3 pieces on each stick. Glaze with your sweet soy glaze to taste, and enjoy!
Notes
Secrets to Success
- Most of these ingredients are easily sourced at Japanese grocery stores. If there’s one in your neighbourhood, or even an Asian grocery store, you should have no problem finding them. Online, all of these ingredients are available as well, and I’ll leave links to online purchase options in the recipe below.
- Dango is best enjoyed on the spot, as sweet rice treats tend to firm and harden up over time. This recipe makes enough for about 2 people (or 2 skewers), but you can also double the recipe as you see fit.
- To make a Shiba Inu-shaped dango, remove about a teaspoon-sized portion of dough and set aside. Then divide the remaining dough into 4 equal-sized balls and begin to shape 2 heads and 2 U-shaped booties. To shape, just work the dough like playdough. Using the remaining teaspoon of dough, make tiny tail features to attach after boiling and before glazing. Glaze only the top halves of the face and bottoms, and then use kitchen scissors to cut details out of a toasted nori sheet. It should stick to the dango very easily.
Serving Tips
- Mitarashi dango can be served on their own, as a dessert or snack. They are often enjoyed as part of a meal or as a treat at festivals.
- If you’re serving them warm, ensure they are still slightly warm when presented.
- If you’re serving them cold or at room temperature, you can present them right after they are skewered.
Storage Tips
- Dango is best enjoyed on the spot, as sweet rice treats tend to firm and harden up over time.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post may contain affiliate links.
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