Kinoko Or Black Sesame Dango - DANGO

Method

• Combine sweet rice flour and tofu in a medium sized bowl to form a dough ball. Our aim is to created a smooth and squishy dough that is firm enough to be rolled into little balls and be boiled. Adjust moisture/dryness as nesacerry. This may mean you may have to knead in extra sweet rice flour if the dough is too wet or more water/tofu if the dough is too dry.
• Knead dough a few times until it forms a smooth, round ball. Roll ball into a log and pinch pieces of dango dough off the log and roll into small dumplings, the size of a cherry. To make rolling easier, dust your hands with rice flour to prevent them from sticking to the dough.
• While you are rolling the dough into balls, bring a pot of water to a boil. Prepare a bowl filled with ice water.
• Time to cook dango! Drop your dango into the pot boiling of water. Once dango floats to the top, cook for 1-2 minutes more, then scoop your dango out and transfer them to the bowl of ice water to cool.
• Combine kinako, sugar and a tiny pinch of salt in a small, rimmed plate. Combine ground black sesame seeds, sugar and a pinch of tiny salt in a small, rimmed plate.
• Once dango is relatively cool, remove from water bath. Skewer dango onto skewers in threes. Now, roll dango in the black sesame or kinako.
• For a special dango not pictured, combine 1 tbs soy sauce and 1-2 tsp sugar in a small bowl. Crisp dango skewer up in a frying pan on both sides with a bite of oil and brush soy sauce mixture onto dango. Once dango is slightly caramelised, remove, and eat warm, wrapped in nori seaweed.