Move over mochi balls! It’s time to introduce a new authentic Japanese sweet, goma dango, that will steal your heart and please your taste buds. This wagashi (sweet pastry) is similar to the Chinese dim sum, Jian Dui or the Chinese Donut. While these sesame balls are fried like donuts, the truth is that they are a lot healthier because they are made from healthy ingredients. You will love goma dango. And with our easy to follow recipe and video, you can now make them at home!
What is Goma Dango?
Goma Dango is made with a crispy rice flour outer layer and a thick, rich red bean paste (anko) inner layer. This crisp, sweet, and creamy combo gives the dish such a fantastic texture and creates instant fans. In Japan, you can find goma dango at various festivals and cafes. The cooking of the goma dango is a bit of an art form, and you need to make sure not to burn the sesame seeds. While this is an authentic Japanese food recipe, Goma dango is widely considered Chuka, a Chinese cuisine, because it originally came to Japan from China.
What is Shiratama Powder?
Shiratama powder, or Shiratamako, is a sweet rice flour that is extremely common in many traditional Japanese food recipes. If you have had mochi deserts, you know that uniquely chewy delicious texture that makes them so incredibly yummy. That is from shiratama! We recommend using this high-quality shiratama powder made from 100 percent Japanese-grown glutinous mochi rice for this authentic Japanese food recipe. This additive-free product is made by one of the country’s most respected and traditional producers. It will give you that entirely satisfying chewy texture that makes all the difference!
Cooking Tips:
- When making the dough, make sure to add the water just a little by little. If you add water too much at once, you’ll ruin the dough. The dough should feel like your earlobe, not too soft but not too hard. Add a tiny bit of water or shiratama powder to adjust the dough if needed as you go along.
- Make sure to cover the entire red bean paste ball with the dough. Try to do it evenly so that the dough wouldn’t break while frying.
- If you have time, rest the sesame balls in the refrigerator for about two to three hours before frying them to set their consistency.
Sesame Balls (Goma Dango)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Shiratamako
- 2 Tbsp Sugar
- 6 Tbsp Water
- ¾ cup Red Bean Paste, Smooth
- 4 Tbsp White Sesame Seeds
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Make 10 balls of red bean paste.
- Mix shiratama powder and sugar in a bowl. Little by little, add water and mix together to make a dough.
- Take the dough out of the bowl and part it into ten.
- Flatten a dough with your hands, and place a red bean paste ball on top of it. Wrap the ball around with the dough. Make sure the white dough covers the ball all around. Place the ball on a plate full of sesame seeds. Repeat.
- Once all the balls are done, roll them on sesame seeds so the seeds cover the ball.
- In a frying pan or in a pot, heat the oil. Make sure the oil doesn’t get hotter than 280F.
- Place sesame balls into the pot and fry for about 4 minutes. Make sure to stir often so that the balls don’t get stuck to the pot.
- Once done, take the balls out and rest on top of a paper towel to drain excess oil.
- Enjoy while they’re still warm!
