Do-it-yourself fresh tofu: Two ingredients and a steamer, and you’re on your way to amazing tofu at home.

Traditional tofu makers start with the beans, and coax them through a long, involved process to create tofu. But with just soy milk and a brine called nigari (a coagulant derived from seawater), it’s easy to make kinugoshi (soft, silken) tofu at home, at least in theory. It isn’t that easy to get the exact-right consistency, but for anyone who loves tofu, it’s worth the effort. Kinugoshi tofu is delicate and pudding-like and almost melts on the tongue. Made fresh, it’s exponentially better than any store-bought blocks of tofu…Read the rest at LATimes.com!

In Japan, gohan, rice, is synonymous with meal. It’s a cinch to toss a few seasonal ingredients into a pot of cooking rice to make an instant meal that utilizes all the season has to offer. And this is sweet potato and chestnut season, folks. Kuri (chestnuts) and satsumaimo (sweet potatoes) are two popular fall comfort foods in Japan.

Chestnut Rice with Sweet Potatoes

This dish makes use of both Japanese sweet potatoes and chestnuts. You can substitute Western sweet potatoes for satsumaimo and replace fresh cooked chestnuts with the precooked variety available in four ounce bags. If you have a rice cooker, this recipe practically makes itself, but it’s still easy to make on the stove top.

Satsumaimo Kuri Gohan

Satsumaimo Kuri Gohan

2 cups sushi rice*, washed
2 cups water
10 large chestnuts, cooked, shelled and halved*
1 large or 2 small satsumaimo *
2 1/2 Tbs mirin
1 tsp salt
1, 4″ piece kombu** (optional)
black sesame seeds, toasted (optional)

• Dice the satsumaimo into bite-size pieces. Set aside. Wipe the white residue from the kombu with a damp, clean cloth. Set aside.

• To a medium cooking pot, add all the ingredients (except the sesame seeds!), mix well and bring to boil. Cover the pot and let simmer for about 12-15 minutes. Let the rice sit for 5-10 minutes to absorb the flavors and to further cook the potatoes.

• If you’re using a rice cooker- add all the ingredients, except the sesame seeds!, to the cooker, mix well and cook as per the directions. Letting the rice sit longer will result in very cooked potatoes- I let mine sit 45 minutes.

• For both rice cooker and stove top- Remove the kombu, fluff the rice and spoon evenly into 4 bowls. Sprinkle with the black sesame and serve immediately.

Makes 4 Servings

Difficulty: Easy | Time: 30 minutes | Ingredient Availability: Easy

*You can substitute regular white rice for sushi rice, but it’ll lack the sticky texture of the Japanese variety.

*You may also use prepackaged chestnuts as long as they’re cooked and not in syrup or sweetened in any way.

*Satsumaimo are tastier than any home-grown sweet tater that I’ve ever had, but they’re also damn hard to find outside an Asian market. Substitute regular sweet taters for the Japanese variety if you can’t find ‘em.

**A sushi chef once told me that adding kombu to vegetables enhances their natural flavor. You won’t even notice a seaweed flavor, but you may notice some added depth to the dish.

This humble vegetable has neatly elbowed it’s squashy way into popular food items, including ice cream and chai latte.

Pumpkin Dango!

I for one am grateful for Pumpkin’s culinary takeover and am a rabid fan of all things pumpkin. I’ve gone on a pumpkin spree like no one’s business this year, ever since the orange goodness has gone on sale at a buck a can.

I like to try new things with pumpkin every season, and since my main cooking love is Japanese desserts, I create a new, Japanese-inspired pumpkin dessert each fall. This year it’s Pumpkin Dango!!

Pumpkin Dango takes the traditional flavor of pumpkin pie, rolls it up and slides it on a stick. It’s gooey mochi filled with all the flavor of an American fave in an easy to eat Japanese snack food. What’s not to love?

Pumpkin Dango

• 1 cup mochiko (glutinous rice flour)
• 3 Tbsp joshinko (non-glutinous rice flour)
• 3 Tbsp white sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water
• orange food coloring (optional)
• 1 recipe Pumpkin An (filling), recipe follows
• 6, 4 inch bamboo skewers

Pumpkin An

• 1 cup pumpkin puree, plain
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp white sugar

Pumpkin Dango Details

Make the pumpkin an by placing the pumpkin puree in a piece of unbleached muslin cloth. Gather the ends of the muslin together and twist the fabric closed. Twist the cloth tightly over a clean bowl to drain the excess moisture from the pumpkin. Save the extra liquid and set aside. The pumpkin is strained enough when it can be rolled into a ball.

Place the strained puree in a small sauce pan and add the rest of the an ingredients. Cook over medium heat, adding the reserved pumpkin juice as needed to safely cook the puree without scorching it. The an is done when it becomes sticky and can be rolled into a ball. Cool the an in the refrigerator or freezer until it’s firm.

While the an is cooling, whisk the mochiko, joshinko and sugar together in a small bowl.

Add the food coloring to the water and slowly add the water a bit at a time to the flour mix. Mix with a fork at first but use your hands to knead the water the rest of the way into the dough. A fork won’t mix the ingredients together as well as your hands, and a fork will give no indication as to the true feel of the dough. Add more water until the mixture is as soft as an earlobe. Do not add too much water! Set aside.

Roll the cooled an into 18, 1/2 inch balls. Set aside.

Roll the mochi dough into 18, scant 1 inch balls. Set aside.

To make the dango, flatten a ball of mochi dough in a lightly damp palm and place a ball of pumpkin an in the center of the dough. Gather the edges of the mochi circle and pinch closed. Add a small dab of water if needed to seal the ball. Roll into a ball and set aside. Repeat.

After all the dango is rolled, skewer 3 balls onto a skewer and set it in a steamer basket. Repeat. Steam the dango on high for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 Skewers

Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 1 hour| Ingredient Availability: Moderate

After rolling the filled balls into rounds, mold them into pumpkin shapes and use the middle of a skewer to lightly press ridges into the shape. Don’t press too hard, however. Adhere a green mochi-dough stem with a dab of water to the pumpkins and steam 10 minutes.

Taiyaki, literally, “grilled sea bream”, is a wheat batter-based confection, much like pancakes and waffles, filled with bean jam (anko) and grilled in a fish-shaped iron. The result is a slightly crispy sea bream-shaped goodie perfect for on-the-go munching.

If you plan on making taiyaki, you’ll need a taiyaki-ki (taiyaki mold). But if you’re simply after the flavor of taiyaki, you can also make silver dollar size cakes with the batter and fill them with anko. This confection is called dorayaki (literally, “grilled gong”, in allusion to their round shape).

I wanted a more crisp bread for my taiyaki and have tweaked a krumkake recipe I found online. This recipe yields a firm, light crust that’s not too sweet.

Taiyaki

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 1/2 Tbs. cornstarch
• 3 Tbs. water
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 Tbs. honey (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups anko, room temperature

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and cornstarch. Set aside.

Beat together the eggs, honey, if using, and sugar till frothy and to it add the flour mixture and water. Whip till smooth.

Preheat a taiyaki-ki and brush it lightly with oil. Pour in a small amount of batter to the preheated pan, add a tablespoon of anko and more batter as necessary to fill in the details. Close and latch the pan.

Turn the heat to medium low and cook about 30 seconds then turn the pan over. Heat evenly for a minute and turn again. Repeat. The taiyaki are done when you can easily open the iron and the taiyaki are a golden brown, about 4 minutes. Serve immediately.

Makes 12 Taiyaki

Difficulty: Easy | Time: 30 minutes | Ingredient Availability: Easy

The Japanese use fillings other than anko for taiyaki. Chocolate, custard and even savory fillings are also popular additives. Use whatever you like; make it your okonomi-taiyaki!

You can make dorayaki with this recipe and add more honey to up the flavor and make it more moist. If you want, cut shapes from the dorayaki with a cookie cutter while the cakes are still warm. You can then sandwich anko between them.

This recipe is the easiest dango to make. It’s simple, uses the least ingredients and can be used in soups or as a dessert.

Easy Dango

• 1 cup mochiko
• 1/4 boiling water

Fill a medium size saucepan with water and set it to boil.

Slowly add a small amount of the boiling water to the mochiko and carefully knead the mochiko dough together with your hands. Keep slowly adding the water until the dough is the consistency of an earlobe. Form the dough into small balls and add them to the boiling water. If using the dango in soup, add them to the simmering soup.

Cook the dango for 8 minutes or until they float to the surface. If making the dango in water, use a slotted spoon to remove the dango and then toast ‘em or top them with your choice of sauces.

Makes 10 dumplings

Difficulty: Easy | Time: 15 minutes | Ingredient Availability: Moderate

This basic dango recipe is a cinch to make if you have mochiko and joshinko. I find this particular combination of mochiko (glutinous rice flour) and joshinko (non-glutinous rice flour) yields dango with just the right amount of gooieness to chew on and enough firmness for the dango to hold their shape. These dango can be topped with a wide variety of sauces, from mocha to mitarashi. Use these blank slates as tasty canvases for your dango experimentation!

Basic Dango

• 1 cup mochiko
• 2 Tbls. joshinko
• 1/3 cup boiling water

Whisk together the rice flours till they’re well blended.

Slowly add the boiling water a little at a time to the flours, mix it as much as possible with a fork and then knead it with your hands, being careful not to burn yourself. *Note: Thoroughly mixing the mochiko and the water together with a fork or spoon does not work, and will give zero indication as to whether the correct amount of water is being added.

Slowly add more water until the dough is “soft as an earlobe”.

Form the dango into 1 inch balls and place them 1/2 inch apart on a lightly greased steamer tray. Steam on high for 7 minutes. Let the dango cool and thread 3-4 dango onto a skewer.

Either serve immediately or toast the dango. To toast the dango, heat an oven to broil and place the skewered dango in the pre-heated oven. Keep a close eye on the dango and remove them once they’re a golden brown. Top them with sauces and serve hot.

Makes 6-8 skewers

Difficulty: Easy | Time: 20 minutes | Ingredient Availability: Moderate

Here’s a popular dumpling recipe made using basic dango topped with a sweet soy-based sauce.

Mitarashi Dango

• 1 recipe Basic Dango

• 1/2 cup light soy sauce (dark may be used as well)
• 4 Tbls. mirin
• 4 Tbls. dashi stock
• 1/2 cup white or brown sugar
• 1 Tbls. katakuriko (potato starch) or cornstarch, (optional)

Make the dango as per the Basic Dango recipe. While dango are steaming, make the sauce.

Make the sauce by mixing the the soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar together in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer for two minutes until the sugar dissolves. You may thicken the sauce by reducing it, but the mitrashi may caramelize. This method produces an intense flavor and a very shiny mitarashi.

If reducing isn’t your preferential way of thickening, then dissolve the starch in a tablespoon of water. Add the starch water to the simmering sauce and stir it in quickly. Cook and stir the sauce over low heat until the sauce thickens to your taste. Set aside.

Toast the steamed dango and top them with the mitarashi sauce. Serve immediately.

Makes 8 skewers

Difficulty: Easy | Time: 25 minutes | Ingredient Availability: Moderate

This dango is a seasonal wagashi eaten during the cherry blossom season. Enjoy hanami dango on your next nature outing and savor a bit of hanami in your own picnic basket!

Hanami Dango

The recipe is off site in my article for Sauce’s March issue. Check it out on the right sidebar!

• Note: After the dango are steamed, the green dango (yomogi or matcha) will start to turn a very dark green, and in the case of yomogi, almost black. This is perfectly normal, but doesn’t look too appealing after an hour or so. To cut back on the oxidation process, use less yomogi or switch to matcha. Use less matcha for a pastel mint color. But less matcha also means less flavor so if you’re keen on green tea and are presenting the dango to friends, try and serve the dango straight from the steamer, or keep them warm till they’re ready to be eaten to delay the oxidation.

Makes 10 skewers

Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 1 hour | Ingredient Availability: Difficult

I was inspired to create a recipe for this famous dango by the many fans who were curious about it. Botchan dango is a regional dango from Matsuyama which was made famous by Soseki Natsume’s novel, “Botchan“. This dango is a sanshoku dango (three colored dango) made from bean paste (an), egg yolk (kimi) and green tea powder (matcha) and filled with white bean paste (shiro an). I used a microwave to help make the recipe, but you can also heat the ingredients on a stove top. This is a difficult recipe but well worth the effort!

Botchan Dango

Filling

• 1/2 cup shiro an
• 1 Tbls. mochiko

An Dango

• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbls. mochiko
• 1 Tbls. joshinko
• 1/4 cup anko (tsubu or koshi)
• 2 Tbls. sugar
• scant amount hot water

Kimi Dango

• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 2 Tbls. boiling water
• 2 Tbls. sugar
• 1/4 cup plus Tbls. mochiko
• 2 Tbls. sugar
• scant amount hot water

Matcha Dango

• 1 tsp. matcha
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbls. mochiko
• 3 Tbls. joshinko
• 3 Tbls. sugar
• 1 1/2 tbls. water
• scant amount hot water

• sugar water for smoothing

Make the filling by mixing together the shiro an and the mochiko. Spread the shiro an mixture onto a clean cotton cloth and steam it on high for 10 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool and form the dough into 18 equal sized balls. Cover the balls with plastic wrap and set them aside.

An
Make the an dango by mixing together the mochiko and joshinko and set aside.

Mix together the sugar and anko and heat the mix until it starts to bubble, about 30 seconds in the microwave.

Add the hot anko to the flours and knead it in well. Depending on evaporation and type of anko used, you may have to add some water to make the dough more pliable. Add hot water a few drops at a time to the dough until it’s soft enough to easily form into balls. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside.

Kimi
Make the kimi dango by whisking together the mochiko and joshinko and set aside.

Add the sugar to the boiling water and stir to dissolve. Add the egg yolks to the hot sugar water and heat until the mixture thickens. In the microwave, heat the egg mix for 5 second intervals, then stir it well. Heat then stir. Repeat. The mixture should be a creamy yellow, slightly thick and frothy.

Add the cooked yolks to the flours. Knead the mixture well, and add enough water to create a supple, but not sticky, dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside.

Matcha
Make the matcha dango by whisking the flours and matcha together.

Dissolve the sugar in the water and heat until it barely boils, about 30 seconds in the microwave. Add the boiling sugar water to the flours and carefully knead the dough well, adding enough water to make a supple dough .

Assembling the Botchan Dango
Divide the an dough into 6 equal size balls. Cover them to prevent drying and repeat with the kimi and matcha doughs. There should be 18 balls in total; 6 an, 6 kimi and 6 matcha.

Take a ball of the an dough and flatten it in a slightly dampened, clean palm. Place a ball of shiro an dough in the center of the an round and carefully cover the shiro an with the an dough. Do not overstretch the dough. Make sure it’s an even thickness throughout. Smooth the ball, using a dab of sugar water if needed.

Repeat with the rest of the an dough. Cover to prevent drying and repeat with the kimi and an balls.

Skewer the finished balls in order of an, kimi and matcha. Steam on high for 10-12 minutes. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 skewers

Difficulty: Difficult | Time: 1 hour 30 minutes | Ingredient Availability: Difficult

I love malted milk balls and I love dango. My insane desire to see the two merged was what fired the ol’ noogin to craft this recipe. It’s a great example of how creative you can be with dango!

Inside Out Malted Milk Dango

• 3/4 cup mochiko
• 3 Tbls. joshinko
• 3 Tbls. baking cocoa
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbls. instant milk powder
• 1/4 boiling water
• 1/4 cup malt powder (not malted milk*)
• 3 Tbls. sugar
• 1/4 water

Mix together the mochiko, joshinko, cocoa and dry milk.

Add the sugar to the boiling water and stir to dissolve it. Slowly add the hot sugar water to the dry ingredients a little at a time. Knead the dough and add more water as necessary to create a supple, but not mushy, dough.

Roll the dough into 1 inch balls. Place the balls 1/2 apart on a steam tray and steam them on high for 7 minutes.

While the balls are cooling, make the sauce by mixing together the malt, sugar and water. Heat the mixture on low heat, stirring constantly. Let the sauce reduce to desired thickness and set aside.

Skewer the chocolate dango, three per stick. Top the dango with the malt sauce and serve immediately.

Makes 7 skewers.

Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 30 minutes | Ingredient Availability: Moderate

*I used malt flour, which is malt powder without the added milk or sugar. Malted milk powder, which already contains sugar plus milk and is readily available at supermarkets, may be used. Omit the sugar and cook till thickened to your taste.

There’s an incredible variety of sweet dessert-style dango, which makes the amount of savory varieties pale in comparison. Sweet dango can be filled, topped or crafted with all manner of traditional Japanese dessert (wagashi) foodstuffs. A few of these traditional ingredients include anko (also known as an), goma (black sesame) and kinako (roasted soybean flour).

However, dango aren’t limited to just Japanese ingredients. You can get creative like I did and create your own toppings for dango; it’s your wagashi- make whatever you want with it!

If you’ve ever considered making your own dango, either with traditional or personal ingredients, this is your lucky day! Today we’ll explore the possibilities with dango and look at the many varieties of the dumplings. Get your steamers ready guys, there’s more to dango than you think!

First, let’s break down the different ways of making dango, including cooking methods, ingredients, and end with varieties.

Cooking

Technically, all dango are cooked in some manner. There are many ways to prepare and cook dango, varying in degrees of simplicity and difficulty.

Boiling
The easiest way to make dango is:

• Mix together mochiko and water
• Make mochiko dough into balls
• Drop balls in boiling water, soup or other liquid
• Cook for about fifteen minutes

Steaming
The next step up from boiling would be:

• Form the mochiko dough into balls
• Steam the dango
• Skewer the balls (optional)
• Roast the dango (optional)

Twice Cooked
Higher up on the dango difficulty scale is what I call twice-cooked dango. To make this dango:

• Reduce dango batter from a viscous liquid to a solid dough
• Form dough into balls
• Thread balls on skewers and steam

Shiro An Method
This is a complex method of making dango, but will yield unique dumplings with an interesting flavor and texture:

• Mix mochiko with shiro koshian
• Steam mixture and work sugar into mix
• Add additional ingredients
• Form into balls and skewer

Flours

Mochiko, glutinous rice flour, is what gives dango their super chewy, gooey texture. Shiratamako, another glutinous rice flour, is also used to make dango. A dango recipe made entirely from mochiko or shiratamako will result in a very soft dango.

Shiratamako is lumpy, and must be dissolved in water or ground before using in a recipe. I’ve heard mochiko can be used interchangeably with shiratamako with little to no adverse results. I personally have used mochiko in place of shiratamako and haven’t noticed the difference. Mochiko is also waaaay cheaper than shiratamako, especially if it’s bought under the name “sweet rice flour”.

Joshinko, non-glutinous rice flour, can be added in varying amounts to create a firmer dango. I recommend a ratio of no more than 1:1 of mochiko to joshinko for dango which is firm but still has some gooey mouth feel. Anything above that results in a denser, less chewy, harder dango.

Liquids

Water is normally used as in making dango, and boiling water at that. However, nothing’s keeping you from substituting other liquids or semi-liquids (anko, mashed fruit, pumpkin filling, etc.) for a portion or all of the water. Fruit or vegetable juice, rose water, milk, tea, or coffee can all be added to dango to enhance the flavor and change the texture. Also, extracts and concentrated flavorings can be added to alter the flavor.

The more liquid used in dango, the softer and gooier it will be. Less water will create a firmer dango, but will also result in a drier dango. Keep in mind you want the liquids hot, unless you plan on cooking the dango ingredients together anyway. Boiling the liquids will dissolve sugars and help bind the mochiko to the other ingredients, which in turn results in smoother, less gritty dango.

Additives

Certain additives, such as powders, non-rice flours, beans, nuts and seeds can be added to the dough, but it’s important to keep in mind how they’ll effect the texture of the finished dango. Small amounts of powdered spices, espresso powder, cocoa, matcha and powdered milk can be added to the rice flour(s) or dissolved in the water/ juice to create flavored dough. Experimentation with amounts is important in finding a recipe that works with your preferred texture and flavorings.

Toppings

After the dango are steamed and/or toasted, it’s your choice what you top them with, if at all. I personally am a huge fan of anko and goma an (black sesame seed paste) on my plain toasted dango. Drowning freshly browned dango in a sea of beans and sesame seeds is more yummy than it sounds. It’s up to you, though, to choose what to cover your dango with.

Some traditional ideas are:

• Tsubu An: Chunky bean paste
• Koshi An: Smooth bean paste
• Shiro An: White bean paste
• Goma An: Black sesame paste
• Kurumi: Walnut powder
• Kuri: Chestnut powder or paste
• Kinako: Roasted soy bean flour
• Mitarashi: Sauce similar to teriyaki
• Matcha An: Green tea paste
• Zunda: Dango topped with slightly sweetened green soybean paste
• Nori: Savory dango wrapped in seaweed

Dango Varities

Dango are named after their toppings, their added ingredients to the dough and their fillings. The above are a sampling of dango named after toppings (goma dango, an dango) but there are also dango named after what’s in the dough and the finished dango or how they’re cooked:

• Matcha Dango: Green tea powder flavored dango
• Kibi dango: Dango made with millet starch
• Yomogi/ Kusa Dango: Mugwort flavored dumplings (kusa dango were originally flavored with cudweed)
• Gomasuri Dango: Lil’ dumplings filled with black sesame paste
• Zunda dango: Dango filled with green soybean paste
• Sasa Dango: Dumplings filled with anko and steamed in bamboo leaves
• Kushi Dango: Skewered dumplings
• Sanshoku Dango (Three Color Dumplings: Sanshoku (three colors): Dumplings made with three colors. Contrary to popular belief, sanshoku dango does not refer to a specific variety. Any dango with three colors is sanshoku dango, including hanami and botchan dango.

Dango are also named for festivals and even fictional characters!

• Hanami Dango (Flower Viewing Dumplings): Three dango on a skewer. Colors are pink (food coloring), white

(plain) and green (matcha, yomogi or food coloring). Hanami dango are eaten during cherry blossom season.

• Tsukimi Dango (Moon Viewing Dumplings): Non-skewered filled or plain dumplings. Usually presented as a pyramid shaped pile of dumplings, tsukimi dango are eaten during the moon viewing festival. I’ve seen ornate tsukimi dango shaped like usagi (bunnies!) as a homage to the mochi pounding rabbit in the moon.
• Ikinari Dango (All of a Sudden Dango): Don’t know why this is called dango, but this daifuku-looking dumpling is made with satsumaimo topped with anko, wrapped with mochiko dough and then cooked. It’s a specialty from Kumamoto where it gets its name from being so easy to make. If visitors pop by, all of a sudden, ikinari dango is so simple, it can be whipped up in minutes.
• Botchan Dango (Named after a fictional character): Three dango on a skewer made from red beans, matcha and egg yolk.

Hopefully, I’ve inspired you to try your hand at making dango. If I have, keep reading for recipes on basic dango and complete dango recipes!

© The Anime Blog

For anyone who’s never sat in the gentle rain of cherry blossoms in spring, I encourage you to do so. It’s an incredible sight to watch as millions of pink petals slowly tumble to the ground and then cover it with a pastel carpet. Profuse amounts of cherry blossoms, sakura, are a rare sight in America (unless you live in Washington D.C.) but in Japan, cherry trees line streets and are common in parks.

It’s a Japanese rite of spring to travel to parks and boulevards filled with sakura to drink sake, sip tea and hang with friends during what’s known as hanami, “flower viewing”. This ancient rite of spring is a way to celebrate the end of winter and to rejoice in one of Japan’s national symbols, the cherry blossom.

Hanami is an old tradition which is hugely popular. Everyone enjoys hanami in their own way, but most hanami-goers can be put in two categories: those who go to silently contemplate the drifting pink petals and those who bring their stereos, a barrel of sake and as many friends as can sit on a tarp. The latter mostly adhere to the popular adage, “hana yori dango“, translated as “dumplings over flowers”, alluding to the preference of eating dumplings over admiring the flowers.

Hanami is such a big deal in Japan, it continues into the night, when it’s then called “yozakura“, night viewing. I have yet to experience yozakura, but who knows? Maybe this year is my year to see cherry blossoms under the stars.

© The Anime Blog

Personally, I enjoy both sides of hanami. I like to stroll through MoBot’s Japanese Garden, sit in the mossy alcove by myself and imagine I can hear the sound the petals make as they drop. Then I’ll go home, call my friends, pack a lunch and hightail it to a park to giggle like schoolgirls in the slow warmth of the new season.

There’s much to be enjoyed during hanami and even if you don’t have a groove of cherry trees handy, you can still celebrate hanami by enjoying a picnic under some dogwoods or other local blooming trees. The spirit of hanami is to have fun, relax, and reflect on the beauty of the season. Create your own hanami this year!

If anyone’s interested in reading more about hanami or in a recipe for one of the star confections of the season, hanami dango, check out my article on Sauce magazine’s website! The article includes a recipe for delicious hanami dango in the right side bar!

*Note: The ingredients which have an odd symbol in front followed by “1/2″ should be noted as being “1/2″.

White Day, which falls on March 14th, is the day men return the favor of candy giving, and pony up the treats to the women who gave them chocolate the month before. Originally, marshmallows were given on White Day, hence why it was dubbed White Day. I think that’s uber weak, and so did the ladies who eventually received white and/or milk chocolate and other goodies instead of marshmallows.

So you gents who were showered with choco last month need to get some treats handy for this Friday. For those who didn’t get showered with choco, no problem, show that special gal in you’re life there’s no hard feelings by making her some white chocolate chip cookies or better yet, by making her some Chizukeki Chichi Dango.

Chizukeki Chichi Dango is an easy chichi dango with the rich taste of cheesecake. Tell her your feelings for her are as pure as the white mochiko this treat is made from!

Chizukeki Chichi Dango

• 1 3/4 cups mochiko
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 Tbls lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup water
• potato or cornstarch for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil enough water to fill a shallow baking pan.
Whisk together the mochiko, sugar and baking powder. Set aside.

Cream the cream cheese, lemon juice, vanilla and water with a hand held mixer on high. Add the mochiko mixture to the cream cheese mixture and mix on high.

Pour the mochi batter into a greased 9×13 pan. Cover the top of the pan with aluminum foil. Place the pan in a shallow baking pan and place the baking pan in the preheated oven. Pour the boiling water into the baking pan till it’s full. Cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Let the chichi dango cool completely then turn it onto a starch dusted cutting board. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out hearts. Dust the hearts with starch and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Heat briefly before serving, if desired, for a softer texture.

Makes 12, 2 inch Hearts

Difficulty: Easy | Time: 1 hour 30 minutes | Ingredient Availability: Moderate

To begin with it’s good to know that the basic recipe for manju dough is comprised of flour, leavening, fat, and liquid. These manju recipes will make between 8-10 man, depending on size and choice of leavening. Here’s two basic dough recipes:

Yeast Dough

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp yeast
• 3/4 cup warm milk or water
• 1 Tbls. sugar
• 1 Tbls. oil
• pinch of salt
• sesame oil (optional)

Dissolve the sugar in the milk or water and add the yeast. Stir to mix well and then let the yeast proof for 6 minutes until it’s foamy. Add the oil to the yeast mixture and stir well.

Blend together the salt and flour then add the yeast mix to the flour, blending thoroughly. Use your hands to knead the dough into a well combined ball. Place the dough in a bowl and cover it with a damp cloth. Let the dough rise in a warm dry place for 30 minutes.

Dust a clean surface with flour and flour a rolling pin. Roll out the dough into 4 inch circles and place approximately a tablespoon of filling in the center of the round. Gather the edges of the round together and twist the top to seal. Use a dab of water if the edges won’t seal properly.

Cut out wax paper squares and place the formed man on squares. If you’d like, cover the formed man with a damp cloth and let them rise for an additional 20 minutes in a warm dry place. After they’ve risen, steam the man on high for 10 minutes.

Makes 10 Manju

Baking Powder Dough

• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tbls baking powder
• 3/4 cup water or milk or soy milk
• 1 Tbls shortening or 1 Tbls. oil
• 1 Tbls sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1/2-1 tsp. sesame oil, optional

Combine dry ingredients and blend well. If using shortening, cut it into the dry flour mixture and then add the water or milk.

If using oil, add it to the milk or water and then add the mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix the ingredients well and knead the dough into a well combined ball. Let the dough “rest” for at least 15 minutes.

Dust a clean surface with flour and flour a rolling pin. On the floured surface, roll the dough into 4 inch circles and place some filling in the center of the round. Gather the edges together and twist the top to seal. Use a dab of water to seal the edges if they’re not sealing properly. Cut out wax paper squares and place the formed man on the squares. Steam them on high for 10 minutes.

Makes 8 Manju

When making the dough for a dessert man, you can increase the amount of sugar used. But be aware you may also need to increase the liquid, depending on how much sugar is used. I don’t recommend using more than 1/2 cup of sugar in any man, especially since the filling may also be sugary. You’ll go into a candy coma.

You can choose to finagle these basic recipes to your taste, experimenting with more yeast, which’ll give it a stronger taste, or with both baking soda and yeast. You can also interchange the fats used or use a bit of each to equal the required amount. Don’t overdo the fat, however, or you’ll have an unnecessarily greasy man.

For those interested in the recipes I’ve tried, I’ve included four:

• Niku Man
• Kare Man
• Matcha Man
• Choco Man

Niku man is a savory manju filled with ground pork and Chinese-style fillings. I used ground TVP, substituted the bamboo shoots with carrots and went with hoisin sauce instead of the oyster for mine.

Niku Man

Dough

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tbls. sugar
• 1 tbls. canola oil
• A pinch of salt (optional)
• 1 tsp. sesame oil (optional)

Filling

• 1 cup cooked TVP or cooked pork, ground
• 1/2 cup bamboo shoots, chopped*
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 shitake mushrooms, chopped or 1/4 cup chopped maitake mushroom**
• 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1- 2 Tbls oyster or hoisin sauce
• fresh ground pepper, to taste

Make the dough by dissolving the sugar in the milk or water, then add the yeast. Stir to mix well and then let the yeast proof for 6 minutes until it’s foamy. Add the oil(s) to the yeast mixture and stir well.

Blend together the salt and flour then add the yeast mix to the flour, blending thoroughly. Use your hands to knead the dough into a well combined ball.

Place the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough rise in a warm dry place for 30 minutes. Make the filling while the dough is rising.

Make the filling by blending all the filling ingredients together and set them aside.

Dust a clean surface with flour and flour a rolling pin. Roll out the dough into 4 inch circles and place approximately one tablespoon of filling in the center of the round.

Gather the edges of the round together and twist the top to seal. Use a dab of water on the dough if the edges won’t seal properly. Cut out wax paper squares and place the formed man on the squares. If you’d like, cover the formed man with a damp cloth and let them rise for an additional 20 minutes in a warm dry place. After they’ve risen, steam the man on high for 10 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Makes 10 Niku Man

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Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 1 hour 20 minutes (if letting dough rise twice)| Ingredient Availability: Moderate

I had my doubts about Kare (Curry) Man, but they all disappeared after one bite. This man is a must for fans of Japanese-style curry. I substituted TVP chunks for the chicken.

Kare Man (Curry Man)

Dough

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tbls. sugar
• 1 tbls. canola oil
• A pinch of salt (optional)
• 1 tsp. sesame oil (optional)
• 1 tsp. turmeric powder***
• A pinch of salt (optional)

Filling

• 1 cup TVP or cooked chicken, chopped
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup carrot, chopped
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 2 blocks Japanese style curry roux, chopped****
• 3 Tbls water

Make the dough as for Niku Man except, blend the turmeric powder with the flour and salt before adding the liquids and oils. Make the filling while the dough is rising.

Make the filling by first melting the roux with the water. You can melt the curry either in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave on high for 30-45 seconds or on the stove in a saucepan over low heat.

Combine chicken, onion, carrot and green onion in a large bowl. Add hot melted curry roux and blend well.

Dust a clean surface with flour and flour a rolling pin. Roll out the dough into 4 inch circles and place approximately one tablespoon of filling in the center of the round.

Gather and stretch the edges of the round together over the filling and twist the top to seal. Use a dab of water if the edges won’t seal properly. Cut out wax paper squares and place the formed man on the squares. If you’d like, cover the formed man with a damp cloth and let them rise for an additional 20 minutes in a warm dry place. After they’ve risen, steam the man on high for 10 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Makes 10 Kare Man

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Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 1 hour 20 minutes (if letting dough rise twice)| Ingredient Availability: Easy

Matcha man was the first manju I’d ever eaten. It was a store bought variety and was bland and dry. I was not impressed. Making matcha man at home and filling it with anko made it moist and delicious. Eat this one right out of the steamer for maximum yumminess.

Matcha Man

Dough

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbls. baking powder
• 1 generous Tbls matcha
• 1 tbls. canola oil
• 3/4 cup milk or soymilk, at room temperature
• A dash of salt (optional)

Filling

• 3/4 koshi or tsbushi an, divided into 8 balls

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, matcha, and salt. Add oil to milk and blend well. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Knead the dough into a well combined ball. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let the dough “rest” for 15 minutes.

Roll out the dough into 4 inch circles and place an anko ball in the center of the rounds. Gather the edges together and twist the top to seal. Pinch off any extra dough and flip manju over so sealed top is facing down. Pat man into a semi-spherical shape and place it, seal-side down on wax paper squares. Steam on high for 10 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Makes 8 Matcha Man

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Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 45 minutes | Ingredient Availability: Moderate to Difficult

Choco man; a gooey taste of East meets West. Use whichever chocolate for the center which floats your boat. Be it, dark, milk, bitter, semi, ganache, Snicker’s, whatever, use plenty for a tasty choco overload!

Choco Man

Dough

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4-1/3 cups cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp. yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 Tbls canola oil
• dash of salt (optional)

Filling

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or
• 1/2 cup your choice chocolate bar, broken

Make the dough by dissolving 1 Tbls of the sugar in the water, then add the yeast. Stir to mix well and then let the yeast proof for 6 minutes until it’s foamy. Add the oil to the yeast mixture and stir well.

Whisk together flour, remaining sugar, baking powder, cocoa, and salt. Add the yeast mix to the flour, blending thoroughly. Use your hands to knead the dough into a well combined ball.

Place the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough rise in a warm dry place for 30 minutes.

Dust a clean surface with flour and flour a rolling pin. Roll out the dough into 4 inch circles and place approximately a tablespoon of chocolate in the center of the round.

Gather the edges together and twist the top to seal. Pinch off any extra dough and flip the manju over so the sealed top is facing down. Pat the man into a bi-spherical shape and place it, seal-side down on wax paper squares. If you’d like, cover the finished man with a damp cloth and let them rise for an additional 20 minutes in a warm dry place. After they’ve risen, steam the man on high for 10 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Makes 10 Choco Man

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Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 1 hour 20 minutes (if letting dough rise twice)| Ingredient Availability: Easy

Out of all the manju I made, I must say the kare and matcha man were my absolute favorites. The curry manju had a kick because of the turmeric and the matcha man had a great balance of bitter tea and sweet tsbu an. I highly recommend eating these treats hot outta the steamer. Although, manju would also be the perfect traveling food since it’s so compact.

However you choose to eat manju, remember, it’s your choice and your manju. Make it how you like and eat it how you want!

The word manju is derived from the word mantou, the Chinese word for the treat which was originally a sweet mochi based bun from China. It was then brought to Japan in the 1300’s. Manju is also called chukaman in respect of it’s Chinese origins: chuka (Chinese) -man (manju). The Japanese took to the sweet confection and it’s since evolved into a savory or sweet wheat flour bun favored by the masses in the cooler months.

Manju, aka, man, is a popular winter snack in Japan. When the temperature drops, the sales of this steamed bun increase and there’s plenty of manju varieties to choose from to keep warm with. Even the fickle foodie will find some type of manju appealing to them.

Although manju is inexpensive and readily available at street vendors and konbini (Japanese convenient markets, including 7-11 and Circle K) people still make manju at home. There are a slew of recipes on the internet for making this snack. Some call for baking soda as a leavening, some for yeast, others for both. Some recipes call for shortening and some for oil, or both. Water is used in a few and milk in others. The combinations of the basic ingredients are impressive. Everyone has their own recipe for manju.

Some recipes say to use a yeast based dough for savory man and to reserve the baking soda dough for sweet manju. To be fair, I’ve tried all types of dough and have mixed and matched savory and sweet doughs with various fillings and haven’t favored one method over another. The yeast dough is lighter than the baking soda dough, but not by much. I made choco man (chocolate manju) with a yeast dough and it turned out well and then I turned around and made matcha man (green tea manju) with baking soda, which was absolutely terrific.

It all boils down to a preferred dough consistency and flavor. There is no ONE manju recipe that trumps all others. In fact, using the basic principles of a manju recipe, it’s possible to tweak a recipe to personal taste. That’s what cooking’s all about!

Aside from choosing how to make the dough, it’s also necessary to choose which fillings to stuff into the man. The possibilities are endless, but here are a few popular manju available at konbini and vendors which should get you thinking:

• Shiro Kare Man: Made with white curry.
• Matcha Man: Green tea flavored manju, with or without anko or other fillings
• Terichikin Mayo Man: Teriyaki flavored chicken with mayonnaise.
• Kare Man: Curry or tumeric flavored dough with curried chicken or pork filling.
• Pizza Man: Manju stuffed with Japanese pizza ingredients, including but not limited to, pizza sauce, meat, corn and cheese.
• An Man: Anko filled bun.
• Niku Man or Buta Man: Chinese-style meat filled bun.
• Choco Man: Cocoa flavored dough filled with gooey chocolate filling.
• Hamburger Man: Manju filled with ground beef and cheese.
• Koma Man: Black sesame paste filled man.
• Ebi Man: Shrimp stuffed bun.
• Squid Ink Man: Yeah, it’s what it sounds like…

If you’re thinking about creating your own filling, but are stumped for ideas, chew on these:

• Barbecue Man: Man stuffed with barbecued TVP or pork.
• Cheese Man: Provolone, mozzarella, and asiago cheese filled buns.
• Greek Man: Sun-dried tomatoes, olives and feta with a dash of lemon and oregano.
• Feista Man: Nacho cheese, black beans, corn and jalapeño stuffed man.
• Pina Colada Man: Pineapple and coconut man.
• Mocha Man: Espresso flavored dough with a chocolate center.
• Apple or Cherry Pie Man: Manju stuffed with pie fillings with a cinnamon flavored dough.
• Smore’s An: Marshmallow and graham center surrounded by cocoa flavored dough.
• Amanatto Man: Dough mixed with amanatto and filled with anko.
• Super Man (I couldn’t resist): Blueberries, apples and cherries stuffed into a bun.

Some websites have some truly inspired ideas for man, such as Ume man, a manju shaped like a plum and filled with koshi an, and Momiman, taken from momi- (short for momiji: maple leaves) and man. Check ‘em out for further inspiration (site language is Japanese).

Part Two of “Man, What’s Up With Manju?” will have recipes for you to play with, plus recipes for sweet and savory man. Keep reading for more manju!