Shiratama Dango

1. Gather all the ingredients. Note: Shiratama Dango are traditionally made without sugar since we always eat them with something sweet. If you want to make them sweeter, you can add up to ¼ cup (50 g) sugar, adjusting to your preference. If you add sugar, you must use less water. Mix the sugar into the shiratamako first, then gradually add water as instructed.
2. Start boiling water in a medium pot. Once it boils, turn down the heat and cover with a lid until you‘re ready to cook the dumplings.

To Make the Dough

1. Add 7 oz shiratamako (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour) to a large bowl. Gradually add 80% of the water while mixing well with chopsticks or a silicone spatula. Set aside the remaining water for the next step, in case you need it. You might not need to add the entire ¾ cup water. Tip: If you have accidentally added all the water at once, quickly place a paper towel over it and absorb excess water before mixing. If you already mixed it in, you‘ll have to add more shiratamako.
2. Once the flour and water form small clumps, start mixing by hand. Use the mass of dough to pick up the flour pieces in the bowl. The dough will be quite dry. Knead until it becomes a firm, smooth ball; in Japanese, we call this an “earlobe-like“ texture. It‘s the perfect consistency if you can cleanly break apart the dough mass in half. If it is too crumbly to form a ball, add a bit more water onto your hand, knead it into the dough, and check again. Tip: If it feels soft like children‘s play dough, you‘ve added too much water. In that case, knead in a bit of shiratamako and check for the correct dough consistency.

To Cut and Shape the Dough

1. Roll the dough into a smooth ball, then cut it into 4 equal pieces with a knife or dough scraper. Roll out each piece into a log.
2. Cut each log into small pieces. You should have about 30 pieces total.
3. Roll each small piece into a ¾-inch (2-cm) ball.
4. With your finger, make an indentation in the center of each ball ¼ inch (6 mm) deep. This will help the dumplings cook faster and have a less doughy texture after cooking.

To Cook the Shiratama Dango

1. To the pot of boiling water, add the Shiratama Dango. You may need to cook in batches.
2. Once they float to the surface, cook for an additional 1 minute.
3. Remove them from the pot and soak in ice water to let them cool. Once cooled, transfer to a plate or tray. Your Shiratama Dango are now ready to serve in your favorite dessert or snack.

To Serve

1. Enjoy Shiratama Dango drizzled with kuromitsu (black sugar syrup) or dusted with kinako (roasted soybean flour) mixed with sugar. Add these dumplings to hot dessert soups like Oshiruko/Zenzai or Matcha Zensai. Use them as a topping for Ujikintoki (Matcha Shaved Ice) and kanten jelly with fruits (Anmitsu). You can even get creative and try them in Western-style desserts like Matcha Vegan Panna Cotta.

To Store

1. Shiratama Dango are soft and chewy within 30 minutes after they are made. If you are not using them right away, keep them in water and store in the refrigerator. Shiratama Dango will become hard, so you need to reheat them in boiling water to soften them before serving.