Matcha Zenzai
User Reviews
5
Matcha Zenzai
Description
This recipe combines shiratama dango, small dumplings made from glutinous rice flour and sugar, cooked until they float and then cooled, with a hot sweet red bean soup flavored with matcha green tea powder and sugar. The dango are formed into small flat-centered balls for even cooking, resulting in a soft chewiness reminiscent of earlobe texture.
Matcha powder adds a mildly grassy, slightly bitter note to the traditionally sweet red bean soup, balancing the flavors and giving the dish a nuanced taste profile. The red bean paste may be chunky (tsubuan) or smooth (koshian) depending on texture preference.
The zenzai is served warm, making a soothing dessert especially suited for cooler weather. The contrasting textures of the silky soup and tender dango provide a pleasing mouthfeel.
Ingredients
For 6 Shiratama Dango
- ¼ cup shiratamako glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour or mochiko
- ¼ tsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp water warm
For the Matcha Zenzai
- 1 Tbsp green tea powder matcha
- 1–1½ Tbsp sugar (adjust to taste; you may want to reduce the sugar amount if you use store-bought red bean paste as it tends to be very sweet)
- 1 cup water 80-90ºC/176-194ºF, hot
- 4.2 oz red bean paste I use tsubuan chunky paste for the texture, but you also can use koshian fine paste, sweet, aka anko
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Make the Shiratama Dango
- 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).
- Divide the dough into 6 pieces.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- Add a little bit of the hot water and mix with a whisk (I used a bamboo whisk) until well combined.
- Add the rest of the hot water (for a total of 1 cup hot water) and mix well.
To Assemble the Zenzai
- Divide and add 4.2 oz sweet red bean paste (anko) and the shiratama dango among individual serving bowls.
- Pour the matcha tea into the bowls and garnish with a little bit of anko. I recommend enjoying it soon.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 2Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 245 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 245kcal | 12% |
| Carbohydrates | 50g | 17% |
| Protein | 8g | 16% |
| Fat | 3g | 5% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Sodium | 58mg | 2% |
| Potassium | 265mg | 6% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 25g | 50% |
| Vitamin A | 378IU | 8% |
| Calcium | 32mg | 3% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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