Description
Halloween Three Coloured Dango is a festive Japanese sweet treat featuring soft, chewy rice dumplings in three vibrant colors and flavors made from purple sweet potato, kabocha pumpkin, and black sesame. These colorful dango balls are boiled until tender, chilled, and skewered for a delightful, visually appealing snack perfect for Halloween celebrations or any time you want a fun and flavorful dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
Purple Sweet Potato Paste
- 5 g purple sweet potato powder
- 2 tsp water
Kabocha Pumpkin Paste
- 5 g kabocha pumpkin powder
- 2 tsp water
Black Sesame Paste
- 10 g black sesame seed paste
Dango Dough
- 90 g Shiratamako (glutinous rice flour)
- 120 g silken tofu
Instructions
- Prepare Purple Sweet Potato Paste: In a small mixing bowl, combine 5 g of purple sweet potato powder with 2 teaspoons of water and mix until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.
- Prepare Kabocha Pumpkin Paste: In another small bowl, mix 5 g of kabocha pumpkin powder with 2 teaspoons of water to make a smooth paste and set aside.
- Mix Dough Base: Place 90 g of Shiratamako and 120 g of silken tofu in a large mixing bowl. As you add the tofu, break it up with your hands to combine evenly with the flour.
- Knead Dough: Knead the mixture thoroughly until it forms a soft dough with a texture similar to the softness of an earlobe.
- Divide Dough: Split the dough into three equal portions for coloring and flavoring.
- Add Color Pastes: Mix the purple sweet potato paste into one portion, the kabocha pumpkin paste into the second portion, and the black sesame seed paste into the third portion of dough. Knead each dough separately until the colors and flavors are evenly distributed.
- Portion Dough Balls: Divide each colored dough into 6 equal pieces, shaping each piece into a round ball gently with your hands. To prevent drying, wrap each ball individually with cling wrap.
- Boil Water: Bring about 1 liter of water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat.
- Cook Dango Balls: Add the dango balls to the boiling water and reduce heat to medium. Let them simmer until all the balls float to the surface, indicating they are cooked through.
- Cool Dango: Use a strainer to remove the dango balls from the hot water and immediately place them in a bowl of cold water to cool and firm up the texture.
- Drain and Plate: Once cooled, drain the dango again with a strainer and place them on a serving plate.
- Skewer Dango: Assemble the dango by threading one black, one yellow (kabocha), and one purple ball onto each skewer. Repeat until all dango are skewered.
- Serve: Present the colorful three-coloured dango skewers on a plate. They can be enjoyed as is or with a drizzle of sweet soy glaze or kinako powder, if desired.
Notes
- Shiratamako is a type of glutinous rice flour that produces a tender, chewy texture; it is preferable to use this over regular rice flour for authentic dango.
- If you don’t have kabocha or purple sweet potato powder, you may substitute with natural purees or food coloring, but the texture and flavor may vary.
- Silken tofu adds moisture and softness to the dough, so use it fresh and chilled for best results.
- Cook the dango in simmering water gently to prevent breaking apart.
- Skewering one ball of each color creates a festive and visually appealing presentation, perfect for Halloween themes.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Japanese
Keywords: Dango, Japanese sweet, Halloween dessert, purple sweet potato, kabocha pumpkin, black sesame, rice flour, chewy dumplings
