Uki-Uki Dango (Floating Dumplings)
Ingredients
(serves 4)
Sweet azuki [red-bean] soup
Adzuki bean : 100g
Raw sugar : 80g
Salt : to taste
Millet ball
Hulled sticky millet (Photo 1) : 50g
Glutinous rice flour : 50ｇ
’Uki-uki Dango’ (Floating Dumplings) are so named because the millet-flour dumplings float after being simmered in sweet azuki bean soup. They originate in Iwate Prefecture, where traditionally they were made as offerings when thanking or praying to the gods. Millet flour is hard to get around here, so I’ve created a recipe using ‘hulled sticky millet’ from an Asian grocery store. The texture becomes deliciously soft, like mochi. Give them a try.
Method
Swet azuki soup
- Rinse the azuki beans. Put in a pot with 4 times as much water as beans, and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and gently add some cold water to cool the beans, then drain off the water (this process removes any astringent taste).
- Once more put beans and water in the pot and bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer. Top up the water if it gets too low during cooking.
- When the azuki are soft enough that you can squish one with a finger, add the sugar and simmer for 10 more minutes. Add a little salt, taste, and adjust flavours if necessary.
Dumplings
- Put the hulled sticky millet in a bowl and wash, swishing the grains around with your hands. Change the water several times, continuing to wash until the water no longer becomes cloudy, then drain off the water with a fine-meshed strainer (photo 2).
- Put the millet in a large microwave-safe bowl, and add enough water that it totals 150g. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 2 minutes, then leave undisturbed for 10 minutes to steam (photo 3).
- Add glutinous rice flour to the steamed millet, stirring with a spatula (photo 4).
- When completely combined, dust hands with a little more glutinous rice flour and form the dough into dumplings around 2cm in size.
- Using your thumb and index finger, make a little hollow in the centre of each dumpling. Put the dumplings in the azuki soup. Simmer for 2 or 3 more minutes until cooked and floating (photo 5).
