Keiran (Sweet Bean Rice Dumplings in Clear Soup)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 65 min
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 20 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Two glutinous rice dumplings filled with sweet bean paste float in each bowl of clear soy-seasoned broth, sweet and savory in the same spoonful.
Read more
They are shaped like small eggs, which is where the name keiran, meaning egg, comes from, and in the Shimokita area of Aomori they were made for the autumn harvest and festive days.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Moisten the glutinous rice flour evenly with one-third of the warm water.
Add the remaining water little by little and knead until the dough has no cracks and feels as soft as an earlobe.
- 2
Divide the smooth red bean paste into 40 portions and roll them into small balls.
Divide the rice dough into 40 portions as well and keep it covered so it does not dry out.
- 3
Flatten one dough portion, place one bean-paste ball in the center, and seal it completely so the seam cannot open.
Roll between the palms into a small egg shape with one end slightly narrower.
- 4
Bring plenty of water to a boil in a large pot and cook the dumplings in batches.
Keep the boil gentle without stirring vigorously; when the dumplings float and the rice dough is cooked through, lift them out with a slotted spoon.
- 5
Sprinkle a little clean water over the freshly cooked dumplings and use a paddle to restore their egg shape and create a glossy surface. They are extremely hot, so do not handle them immediately with bare hands.
- 6
Soak the dried shiitake and kombu in the broth water, then heat slowly and remove the kombu just before boiling.
Once the shiitake has flavored the stock, season with soy sauce and keep hot.
- 7
Place two dumplings in each of 20 bowls and divide the hot clear broth evenly among them.
Cut the mitsuba, add a little to each bowl, and serve while the dumplings are warm.
References checked
These references were consulted when this page was prepared or corrected. A source check does not mean the recipe was independently kitchen-tested.
- 일본 농림수산성 うちの郷土料理
Checked: 2026-08-11
Use-up ingredient planner
Turn these ingredients into two more meals
The overlap excludes basic seasonings. Open the next recipe and your selected dishes will stay with you.
Dago-jiru (Hand-Stretched Dumpling Soup)
glutinous rice flour, dried shiitake
Soki-jiru (Okinawan Clear Pork Rib Soup)
dried shiitake, kombu
Uchigae Zoni (Rock Tofu and Taro Soup)
dried shiitake, kombu