Ikinari Dango (Steamed Sweet Potato and Red Bean Dumplings)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 110 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 10 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Ikinari dango are steamed dumplings from Kumamoto's Kikuchi area, once prepared as a snack during the autumn sweet potato harvest.
Read more
A raw sweet potato round 1 to 1.5 cm thick and a portion of sweet red bean paste are stacked, then enclosed together in a rested dough of wheat flour and dango flour. After about 20 minutes of steaming, the wrapper is supple, the bean paste is warm, and the potato remains a distinct tender layer. The Kumamoto word ikinari is associated with something simple and quick, fitting a snack also served when guests arrive.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Step
Chamfer the sharp edges of the sweet potato rounds.
Soak them in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry.
- 2Season
Mix the wheat flour, dango flour, sugar, and salt.
Add the water gradually, then the oil, and knead until the dough forms a smooth, cohesive mass.
- 3Control
Cover the dough and rest it at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
Divide it into 20 pieces and roll each into a thin circle wider than a sweet potato round.
- 4Step
Divide the bean paste into twenty 15 g balls.
Put one on each dough circle, top with a sweet potato round, and pull the dough edges around both layers to enclose them completely.
- 5Finish
Set the dumplings seam-side down in a steamer with space between them.
Steam over abundant steam for about 20 minutes. Serve hot when a bamboo skewer slides easily through the center of the potato.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- A raw sweet potato round and red bean paste form two filling layers.
- Finish cue
- Set the dumplings seam-side down in a steamer with space between them.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official food safety guidance.
This recipe
110min, 8 ingredients
Category median
50min, 7 ingredients
Based on 119 recipes
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