This is sweet and chewy shiratama dango made with strawberries. Dango is traditional Japanese dumplings, normally made by mixing with water or silken tofu. But this time I used a lot of flesh strawberries. The color of this pink shiratama dango all comes from the strawberries. I hope you enjoy this fruity, light and refreshing spring dessert!
This recipe is adopted from a Japanese TV show for kids called Go Go Cook R’n. There are three kids trying a new recipe every time on the show. And their recipes are always inspiring and easy enough for kids to make. I normally don’t watch TV with my children. Because I switch on the TV so that I can focus on preparing dinner. But that TV show is an exception. Basically, I can’t keep my eyes off any kind of cooking TV shows, though.
So thus, these strawberry shiratama dango is very easy to make, even if you make dango for the first time. The ingredients that you need are also simple: shiratamako (glutinous rice powder), sugar, strawberries and sweetened condensed milk. You could get shiratamako (白玉粉) on amazon, Asian grocery stores or Japanese grocery stores, such as Japan Center.
Tips for strawberry shiratama dango
The only tip to make elastic shiratama dango is add strawberries one by one into a bowl with shiratamako. After you add one strawberry, crush it with your fingertips. Then rub and knead with shiratamako together. It’s important to take your time to knead after each addition. It’s grainy at the beginning. But gradually it becomes smooth and doughy.
Once you make a large smooth dough ball of shiratama dango, all you have to do is shape it into small balls, then boil and chill in a cold water. Following that, drain them and serve with sweetened condensed milk.
Shiratama dango is best to eat right away. Because they will be harden quickly. If you like to keep them, put them in a container filled with water and store in the fridge. Please consume them within 2 days. To make them back to soft texture, heat up in a microwave for a few seconds.
If you like chewy texture of dessert or savory food, also check out my Chocolate mochi ice cream and Savory potato mochi dumplings!
Disclaimer: Mochi is not advisable for young children, older adults, and people who can’t chew properly. You have to chew well to swallow mochi to prevent from getting stuck in the throat.
Strawberry Shiratama Dango
Ingredients
- 140 g (5 oz / 1 metric cup) Shiratamako (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour)
- 140 g (5 oz) flesh strawberry I used 16 small strawberries.
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- sweetened condensed milk to drizzle
Instructions
- Wash the strawberries and remove the calyx. Set aside.
- Place the shiratamako and the sugar in a large bowl and stir lightly. Add one strawberry and crush with your fingers. Then rub and knead well with the shiratamako together.
- Repeat the process until the dough formed a large smooth ball. Add or reduce the strawberries if necessary. The dough should be like play-dough consistency that is moist and soft but not too sticky.
- Boil plenty of water in a large pot. Pinch off a little from the dough and shape it into 3 cm (1 inch) round balls. At the same time, add the dango one by one into the boiling water.
- When they float to the surface of the boiling water, keep letting them cook for another 3 minutes. Then scoop out the floating dango and put them into a cold water (preferably ice water).
- Once they cooled (after a few minutes), drain well and place in serving dishes with strawberries if remaining some. Drizzle sweetened condensed milk over the top as much as you desire.
