FALL TSUKIMI DANGO

In the fall, the lower humidity brings clearer air, causing the moon to look particularly beautiful. Tsukimi dango is the name for dumplings that are offered to the moon, together with Japanese silver grass and farm crops on the night of the moon viewing day. Fifteen dumplings are stacked in a pyramid shape. Tsukimi dango can be enjoyed in various ways, for example, with azuki bean paste or kinako powder or eaten alone.

 Ingredients: Serves 4

 1 cup joshin-ko (refined rice powder)

2 tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup boiling water

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Combine joshin-ko and sugar in a bowl. Pour 2/3 cup of boiling water at once and stir with a wooden spatula. Once the dough is cooled enough to handle, knead it well until there are no lumps. Wet your hands with water and roll the dough into small balls about 1 inch in diameter. Gently drop the balls into the remaining pot of boiling water. Continue to boil for about 3 minutes or till the balls start to float near the surface. Scoop up the floating dumplings one by one and drop them into cold water. Continue to cool under cold running water. Once the dumplings are cooled, remove the moisture from the surface and serve. Make sure the dumplings are completely dry before they are stacked.   Serve with Mitarashi sauce.

MITARASHI SAUCE:

1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in a teaspoon of water

½ cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

1 ½ Tablespoons mirin

Combine water, sugar, soy sauce, and mirin in a pot and simmer to a gentle boil. Add the dissolved corn starch and stir constantly. Once the sauce comes to a boil, simmer for 1 more minute and remove from heat. Pour a little sauce over each serving.