Shiratama Dango Glutinous Rice Ball

Ingredients

• 200 g shiratamako (白玉粉), white glutinous rice flour, wet-milled; do not substitute joshinko
• 160 ml cold water, added gradually during kneading
• For the silken-tofu variant (in place of water)
• 150 g silken tofu, drained and patted dry; use with 100 g shiratamako
• For mitarashi glaze (optional)
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp potato starch or cornstarch
• 4 tbsp water
• To serve
• 150 g koshian (smooth red bean paste), or anko, kinako, or warm zenzai soup as accompaniment
• 2 tsp matcha powder, whisked to sauce or used to flavour dough if coloured variety is desired

Method

1. 1
   Place the shiratamako in a bowl. Add cold water in small increments, working the flour with the fingers between each addition. Knead for 3–5 minutes until the dough is smooth, uniform, and soft — it should feel like a firm earlobe under the thumb. Stop kneading at this point; further working toughens the starch structure. For the tofu variant, combine 100 g shiratamako with 150 g drained, patted-dry silken tofu and knead in the same way until smooth.
2. 2
   Pinch off pieces of dough and roll between the palms into balls of approximately 15 g each (marble-size). Balls larger than this will have an underdone centre even when floated. Flatten each ball very slightly with one thumb so the centre cooks evenly. This is where the dish lives or dies: uniform size and the slight central dimple are the only guarantees of consistent gelatinisation throughout.
3. 3
   Bring a generous pot of unsalted water to a full rolling boil. Drop the balls in batches, without crowding. Within 2–3 minutes they will rise and float freely to the surface. This is the signal they are nearly — not fully — cooked. Continue simmering for a further 1–2 minutes after floating. The cooked ball will look slightly translucent at the surface and yield to a gentle press without a firm, starchy core.
4. 4
   Lift the balls immediately with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl of cold water. Leave them for 1–2 minutes until cooled through. The cold shock stops further cooking and sets the final mochi-mochi texture — simultaneously chewy, smooth, bouncy, and yielding. Do not refrigerate: cold temperatures retrograde the glutinous starch and produce hard, unpleasant balls.
5. 5
   If making the mitarashi glaze, combine soy sauce, sugar, mirin, starch, and water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens into a dark, glossy glaze that coats the back of a spoon. Skewer the drained shiratama (three or four per skewer) and brush the glaze over them immediately before serving.
6. 6
   Drain the shiratama and arrange in bowls. Serve fresh, within a few hours of cooking, at room temperature or warm from the pot. If holding briefly, keep the balls submerged in water at room temperature, changing the water every hour. The finished ball should spring back cleanly under the tooth with no chalky or gummy interior residue.