Food and Science Foodventure - The Decision

"I want to make mochi for my project.  Yeah, write about that." -The prompt for this post

One of my favorite Japanese sweets is mochi.  Not the mochi used as a topping for frozen yogurt (not that I don't love it) or the ever popular mochi ice cream, but the fluffy round sweet rice cake filled with deliciously smooth red bean paste (or sesame paste or taro or strawberries) also known as daifuku.  Or even the freshly pounded mochi they serve at Shinshun Matsuri that is topped with shredded nori and chunky red bean paste and some other stuff I don't know the name of.

The boxed good stuff

The fresh good stuff

But, after some more contemplation I've realized that there is another Japanese treat that I quite enjoy that I can't get as easily year round.  Not only can I not find it as easily as boxed mochi, but in the past I have attempted to create this yet to be said treat and failed twice in the most epic of ways.  

What I would like to attempt to make a third time (third time's the charm) is mitarashi dango (みたらし団子, pronounced: me-ta-rah-she dah-n-go).

Mmm....mitarashi dango...

Hanami dango

 If you've never had mitarashi dango, you are missing out my friend.  It's similar to mochi in that it's also made from rice or rice flour but with some differences.  Dango is a generic term for unfilled dumplings.  This type, in particular, is served on a bamboo skewer.  So, unlike mochi, there are no fillings.  All the tasty stuff gets put on top unless it's mixed in to add color for Hanami.

Dango by themselves don't have a strong favour so they are easy to top.  They go well with red bean paste, but my favorite topping is the glaze.  It is a sweet and savory sauce typically made with sugar, soy sauce, and starch.

I may have to try a couple different recipes before I can get this right (I hope I don't, that would be awful), but I love it so much that I've got to try.  It won't nearly be as good as the ones I got from the little sweets shop around the corner from my apartment in Japan or the prepackaged ones, but, hey, I'm just an untrained American attempting to create wagashi.  Nobody's perfect.

It may be a challenge, but I'm hoping it will turn out abso-foodie-licious.