Matcha Zenzai

1. Gather all the ingredients.

To Make the Shiratama Dango

1. Put ¼ cup shiratamako (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour) or mochiko and ¼ tsp sugar in a bowl. Stir in 2 Tbsp warm water, a little bit a time, until the dough is combined and smooth. Take the dough out of the bowl and roll it into a ball. The texture of the dough is like an earlobe (that’s how we describe this particular tenderness in Japanese).
2. Divide the dough into 6 pieces.
3. Roll each piece into a ball and then press the center to flatten. With a flat center, the shiratama dango will cook faster. Continue with the rest of pieces.
4. Cook the shiratama dango in boiling water. When the dango are cooked through, about 1–2 minutes, they’ll start to float. Remove and soak in ice water to cool.
5. Alternatively, if you want to save time, instead of making shiratama dango, you can use kiri mochi (pre-cut rice cakes). Cut each into 4 small pieces and toast in the toaster oven until puffed up.

To Make the Matcha Tea

1. Put 1–1½ Tbsp sugar in a medium bowl and sift 1 Tbsp matcha (green tea powder) in a fine-mesh sieve to remove any lumps.
2. Add a little bit of the hot water and mix with a whisk (I used a bamboo whisk) until well combined.
3. Add the rest of the hot water (for a total of 1 cup hot water) and mix well.

To Assemble the Zenzai

1. Divide and add 4.2 oz sweet red bean paste (anko) and the shiratama dango among individual serving bowls.
2. Pour the matcha tea into the bowls and garnish with a little bit of anko. I recommend enjoying it soon.