{"id":1509,"date":"2016-02-22T07:35:07","date_gmt":"2016-02-21T22:35:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=1509"},"modified":"2020-07-23T00:14:29","modified_gmt":"2020-07-22T15:14:29","slug":"making-dango-easy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/making-dango-easy\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Your Very Own Dango Is Easy!"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Many Forms of Mochi<\/h2>\n

Mochi is truly a unique addition to the already vast plate that is Japanese cuisine and is sold in a plethora of varieties, mostly in the form of many different sweets. It is made from the soaking, cooking then pounding of whole grain white rice. The rice is pounded until it becomes a glutinous gooey substance than can be moulded into shape. The traditional pounding of the rice ceremony is called Mochitsuki, and I recommend seeing this if you have the chance. At some festivals in Japan, you will have a chance to witness as two grown men pound away at a giant wooden bowl of rice until it becomes hot, delicious mochi.<\/p>\n

\"Making<\/a><\/p>\n

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Hard Mochi or Soft?<\/h2>\n

Mochi can be split up into hard mochi, and soft mochi. Hard mochi can be bought in little brick shapes, or little half-spheres. These mochi are traditionally toasted in a little toaster oven for about 15min before eating. You can set your oven to grill and watch as the mochi expands and gets a tasty looking toasted golden top. This is then eaten in a sweet red bean soup (oshiruko), or dipped in a mixture of soy sauce and sugar. Toasting and eating the gooey mochi is quite a fun little activity, so take this chance to prepare it with your children or maybe just someone who is just as young at heart. But watch your fingers, because the mochi gets hot!<\/p>\n

\"Greentea<\/a><\/p>\n

A quick look around the sweets in any supermarket or convenience shop, will show you just how popular soft mochi is. Daifukumochi, is arguably the most popular confectionary mochi product. It is soft stretchy mochi stuffed with red bean paste (anko). These can easily be bought in many different colours for around 100yen a ball. A popular variation of the mochi is ichigo (strawberry) daifukumochi, which is very similar apart from a whole sweet fresh strawberry in the centre of the anko. These mochi tend to be more seasonal, and can be bought from most supermarkets or convenience shops.<\/p>\n

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Japanese Dango: Make it Yourself<\/h2>\n

Maybe you have seen dango being eaten in one of your favourite Japanese TV shows or anime. This popular little variation is often made as sweet little balls of mochi on a skewer, then covered in delicious sauce or anko. This is an extremely simple little treat to make at home if you\u2019re looking for a sweet little Japanese snack (or dessert!) to really impress.<\/p>\n

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Japanese dango with sweet brown sugar sauce<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prep time<\/em>: 5mins.<\/p>\n

Cooking time<\/em>: 10mins.<\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/em><\/p>\n