Mitarashi Dango

• 3 1/2 oz (100g) Joshinko (Rice Flour)
• 3 1/2 oz (100g) Shiratamako/mochiko (Sweet/Glutinous Rice Flour)
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 2/3 cup (150ml) warm water
• 24 Bamboo skewers
Sweet Soy Sauce
• 5 Tbsp. sugar (adjust sweetness to your liking)
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. mirin
• 4 Tbsp. water
• 1 Tbsp. corn starch
• 1 Tbsp. water for dissolving corn starch

Instructions:

1. Combine Shiratamako, Joshinko, and sugar in a bowl.
2. Stir in warm water a little bit a time and knead slowly until the dough becomes smooth. The texture is like squeezing an "ear lobe" (that’s how we describe the tenderness for this type of mochi in Japanese).
3. Divide into 2 equal pieces until you have 8 balls. Then divide each one into 3 equal sized balls. You will end up with 24 pieces.
4. Gently place dango in the large pot of boiling water.
5. Dango will stay on the bottom first but they will start floating on the surface as they are cooked. After 1 minute, remove from pot and transfer into ice water.
6. Drain well and put three pieces into a bamboo skewer.
7. On the stove top, place the skewered dango on the grill on direct heat over medium high for 4 minute and rotate slowly to char (or you can heat a pan and brush with a little vegetable oil and grill on it).
8. For sauce, combine sugar, soy sauce, mirin and water in a saucepan. Stir occasionally and bring it to a boil.
9. Once it boils, add the corn starch and water mixture to the sauce and make sure it dissolves well. After the sauce thickens, turn off the heat.
10. Place dango on a plate. Using a brush, coat with sweet soy sauce on dango. Serve dango with green tea.