Japanese - MITARE YAKI DANGO

FYI - visit my newest test on MITARE or MITARASHI DANGO / MITARASHI YAKI DANGO (means all the same) at http://rockdavinci.blogspot.com/2010/06/pollys-mitarashi-yaki-dango.html    I just tested again two nights ago 6/11/2010 and got the best result from using SHIRATAMAKO (glutinous rice flour) than this "JIO SHIN KO"(rice flour). 

I was very busy this weekend. I retried the MITARE YAKI DANGO recipe again. This is one of our childhood favorites, and it brings up a lots of fun childhood memory growing up in Japan. *Note: JIO SHIN KO is the Japanese term for this particular Rice Flour. It might not have ROMA JI (Japanese in English Writing/Sound equivalent translation) on the package, but the rice flour is found at Japanese Grocery Store.   Asian / Oriental Market carries Rice Flour, but I do not know they will turn out . . . hopefully the same.  *8/26/09, 9 pm:  It did not turn out the same with "Rice Flour"  manufactured in Thailand.  Sadly after boiling and or steaming the rice balls for 3 hours, I had to toss out 45 rice balls.

 

Preparation time: 3 hours.  Prep time can cut down significantly if you have two other family members helping in rolling the rice flour dough into round balls.
Yied: 28 to 45 round rice balls on the bamboo skewers

Equipment: Medium mixing Bowl, Measuring cups with meteric measurement, Scale to weigh in Grams, small Sauce pan, Mixing spoon, Measuring spoons.  Large pot to boil water & rice ball; strainer and a large bowl filled with cold water to chill cooked rice balls.  Short Bamboo skewers - 12 to 20 skewers--depending on the size of the rice balls.  Small tabletop indoor BBQ Grill or stove top grill.

Ingredients:
JIO SHIN KO - Rice Flour - 250 g (about 1-3/4 Cup)
Water - 200 CC (*1 cc = 1 ml)

Sauce:
1/2 C Soy Sauce (*I prefer to use Low Sodium Soy Sauce mixed w/some Water)
2 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Cornstarch

Process:

Mix half of the water into Rice Flour and knead in a mixing bowl.

Add additional water as you go along.   Knead until it is well incorporated.

The dough feels very firm.

You can feel the moisture on the smooth surface of the dough when held in hand.

It won't hurt to add 2 more Tablespoons of water.   But do not add more than needed.

The soft rice ball would not keep its shape after boiling, and we want it to keep its round shape.

Divide the dough into 4 equal size.

Roll one of the dough into a long rope.

*Depending on the size of the rice ball you want, your rope maybe anywhere from 1/2 inch to 6/8 inch to 1 inch in diameter.

My rope was about 6/8 inch in diam.

Cut them equally, 1 inch long.

*Diam and length equal the size of the Rice Ball. So, gauge it to your liking and make sure there are enough for everyone to enjoy.




Recruit family members.   Wash their hands clean and start pressing and circling the dough into a Round Ball.  You should feel the moisture on the surface of the dough at the same time that it is taking the round shape.  The dough will crumble if the dough is too dry or too much pressure is applied.

 

In the meantime, BOIL a pot of water. *Bubbling hot

Start putting some Rice Balls into the boiling water.

*The Rice balls would sink to the bottom. Use the spoon to unstick off of the bottom of the pot. Give it a swirl.

The boiling water would quiet down at this time.  Then, after a few minutes, it starts to boil again. Now Boil the Rice Balls for 2 Minutes.

During this 2 minutes, the Rice Balls will start to rise to the top and stays afloat.  Normally a sign of doneness.  Scoop up the Rice Balls and transfer to the bowl of cool water with strainer.

Cool the Rice Balls in the cool water bowl. About 30 secs.








Scoop them out to a large flat plate. Try not to let the rice balls touch each other.

Skewer 4 to a stick or 3 to a stick.

Prepare the Sauce. Mix Soy sauce and sugar and Cornstarch in a small sauce pan/pot.  Bring to a boil.   Stirring constantly.   Becareful not to burn yourself from the Lava like activity going on in the pan.   Cook for 1 minutes.   The sauce should be glue like. Remove from heat.

Prepare stove top BBQ Grill or Japanese HIBACHI, whatever works to dry bake the Rice Balls on the Skewers a bit to give it a bit of charred markings.

Roll the Rice Balls on the skewers in the sauce.
*Scoop some sauce in a large soup spoon, and roll the Rice Balls to cover each ball entirely.

Set aside and eat warm or cooled.

*Tip: Do Enjoy it as soon as possible.   Do not put homemade Dango made with JIOSHINKO in refrigerator.   They will turn rock hard.
Serve fresh and enjoy!!

Note:  for newer testing result with SHIRATAMAKO glutinous rice flour instead of JIOSHINKO, visit my other blog on YAKI DANGO.  The YAKI DANGO made from SHIRATAMAKO is taste much better and has longer retention of the natural softness. 

http://rockdavinci.blogspot.com/2010/06/pollys-mitarashi-yaki-dango.html

Summer Love

Bird's Affair

Love Triangle?






















Three's a Company



















The Summer Love

LOTUS GARDEN - PINK LIPS

Lotus - Pink Lips

Summer Love 2009 - Fruits and Veges

Japanese Mochi Cake

Yield: 13x9" pan size
















Ingredients and Methods:
1/2 Cup Soft Butter - Creamed with Sugar until fluffy and pale yellow

20 Packets - Truvia  or 1 Cup Regular Granulated Sugar

3 to 5 eggs - 3 eggs are plenty, but if you prefer - 5 eggs will give a better fluffier result; see last two pictures' notes at the end of this post.
 
1 box 16 oz MOCHIKO - Sweet Rice Flour (Blue Star Brand by KODA FARMS - normally in a white box. Purchase at Japanese (Mitsuwa) or Asian Market (99 Ranch) for $1.39 to $1.67)

5 tsp Baking Powder

2-1/2 Cup Milk (at least room temp, but NOT cold) or use 1-1/2 Cup Coconut milk + 1 Cup Milk


Add one egg at a time to the Butter mixture. Blend well until it is no longer slushy before adding the second egg, etc. Once all eggs are added, the mixture is liquidy.










Mix Mochiko together with baking powder well. Then add liquid. Mix with large spatula and mash mochiko well with milk.










Add butter mixture into the Mochiko mixture.

Use large spatula and smash dry ingredient lumps against the bowl and mix until smooth. There should be no large lumps.
Pour into the baking dish.










(with Chopped up Sour Apple Balls. Chocolate tasted best.)



Bake at 350'F for 45 minutes - Golden Brown and or inserted knife comes out 'dry like'. (Optional) Bake with a bowl of (6 Cups) Hot water sitting at the bottom of the Gas oven for steam during the baking.










(Optional)
Add chopped up Hershey Chocolate with Almonds and sprinkle on top before baking.
Or add any other sprinkles on the top.
Let the favorites to float on top and bake.
Update: 1/16/2010
With 4 eggs, the Mochi cake definitely puffs up more with cake like texture.

AMISH Bread Starter - Sourdough Bread #4 - a Success

Flat Sourdough Flat French Bread and Loaf Bread

After several weeks and numbers of tries in modifying the original AMISH Bread Starter I obtained in October 2007, I trained it to proof with just water and flour or water and pastry flour. Sugar was removed for 20 days, then 1 TBLsp of sugar was added to the baking starter, and 1/2 cup sugar is returned to the starter - as the starter looked a bit weaker - not bubbly as usual. However, you would know that the starter is still alive when the zip lock bag continues to swell up like a balloon and bubbles are forming every few hours before your daily routine of kneading the bag.

The first three attempts in turning them into Sourdough bread produced interesting results.
The dough was not kneaded but just mixed with wooden spoon - just enough to make the flour disappear.
The bread texture turned out looking rough and airy, but still very heavy. Dough tasted chewy, but just not "light" enough.

On the 4th batch tonight, it turned out successfully compared to the other three.
Equipment:
A Large plastic bowl with cover
A large Wooden spatula or Spoon or anything you can use to mix up the heavy dough without breaking
Measuring cups

Ingredients:
1. 2 Cups of AMISH Bread Starter that has been modified and have been maintained with just water and flour.
2. 1-1/2 Cups of Organic Low Fat Milk -- Lactose Free - Warm to touch
3. 1 TBLsp of Sugar
4. 3-1/2 Cups Unbleached Organic Flour
*Organic ingredients are optional

5. 1 egg white + 1 TBLsp water

8 pm Thursday evening.
Mix first two cups flour in milk and Starter with wooden spoon.
The dough will form, but it is stuck to the sides of the bowl.
Add one more cup of flour and continue mixing with wooden spoon.
Then, add 1/4 cup more and 1/4 cup more just enough to get the dough leave the side of the bowl....but not quite. But with your spoon, it leaves the side of the bowl when gathered. If touched, the dough will stick to your fingers.
Do your best and form it into a Ball size.
Cover the bowl and let it rise to double or more in size.

6 am Friday morning.
Use the wooden spatula and divide a section to a non-stick baking pan.
Stretch the dough into shape of French Flat Bread.
Cover with aluminum foil or whatever you have - leaving enough room at the top - like dome shape, but air-tight to rise.

If desired, transfer the rest of the dough into a loaf pan (greased and floured).
Using wooden spatula, shape it into a desired form in the pan.
Cover air-tight to rise and also leaving enough room at the top to allow dough to rise without sticking.

*Or place a piece of parchment paper between the dough and Aluminum foil to cover. Parchment paper can be left on the bread to bake and taken off easily after 10 minutes into the baking.

6 pm Friday evening.
Pre-heat oven to 325F - Conventional Large Gas Stove is used for this baking example.
Place the rack at 2nd from the top rack and place Loaf Bread - **without removing the aluminum foil - if stuck on the dough or leave the parchment paper, if stuck on the dough.
Please the rack at 2nd from the bottom and place the Flat French Bread.

Prepare egg white wash:
Beat 1 egg white + 1 TBLsp of water

After 10 minutes, without taking the breads out of the oven - still on the oven wire rack, carefully and gently remove the parchment paper or aluminum foil on to of the bread that might have gotten stuck to the dough.
**should have oiled the top of the dough during proofing - could have avoided dough from sticking to the material covering the pan or have placed the parchment paper.
Brush the bread with egg white wash.

Bake for 20 more minutes - Check on the Flat French Bread first
The bread should "sound" hollow when tapped and crust is Golden brown.
Switch the position of pans, if necessary.
Bake the loaf bread for another 20 to 30 minutes longer - until Golden brown and "sound" hollow when tapped.

Here are some visual aids:
Amish Bread Starter - Fed every 5 days.

Starter - Bubbly - Sign of Life?

First 3 sourdough breads' texture - Bubbly, but Dense, and heavy - did not rise enough?



Batch 4 - Flat Sourdough French Bread

Texture is chewy and light

Batch 4 - Loaf bread turned out much lighter than before.

Sweet French Bread with Amish Bread Starter

Here is the latest Recipe for the Home Baked Sweet French Bread using Amish Bread Starter.
2 Cup Starter (only 2 days old from 5th day)
5 TBsp Sugar
3 TBsp Softened Butter
2-1/2 Cup Unbleached Flour
1 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

Mix all ingredients in a large plastic bowl (with lid) with Sturdy Spatula for about 5 minutes. & Hand Knead for 10 min. in the bowl.
Cover the plastic container.
Let it rise till Double about - 12 hours.

Roll the Doubled Dough into shapes of French Bread:
Divide the dough into halves.
Roll out the dough into oval shape - 1/2 in thick.
Place them on top of Non-Stick Cookie Sheet, side-by-side to each other & leaving about 2 inches of gap to allow the dough to rise till double in size.

Using sharp kitchen knife or scissors, slit the top of the bread dough about every 3 inches.

Cover it with Saran Wrap loosely and also place an empty 8 oz yogurt cup, for example to keep saran wrap from touching the dough's surface.

My kitchen temperature was about 62Degrees. To help rise the dough.
Place the cookie sheet above a pot of hot water without turning on the stove.
Change the hot water several times to help dough rise into double in size.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Egg White Wash -
Beat 1 egg white with a tablespoon of water together.
Egg white wash will give the bread nice shine and soft top.
Otherwise, just brush the top of the bread dough with Water right before baking time.

Brush each Bread dough that has rise in double with Egg White Wash.

Place at top second rack of the conventional (gas) oven
Bake for 35 to 40 min.
Bread will look shiny and brown.



The texture is more like a bread than the French Bread. Maybe less kneading will create less fine looking bread. Taste wise, it is great.

AMISH Friendship Starter Diary

Croissant and Cinnamon Roll.

The basic Amish Friendship Starter Bread recipe can be found at: http://www.armchair.com/recipe/bake002.html

Follow the recipe steps and modify as necessary. As you gain experience you can add the starter in place of the dry yeast to bake all kinds of wonderful home made breads and other favorite goodies.
Here is of mine to share:
This is how the Starter looks like between Day1 through 5.
Bubbly and plastic will expand almost like a balloon.
Be sure to keep the plastic Closed.
Do not refrigerate. There is no reason to.
Day 1 thru 5





The starter will develop into foamy bubbles at the top.
It develops pungent smell - very normal.
No discoloration, however that I have ever noticed.
Every day, pop open the plastic and carefully with your hand, just knead gently around the the plastic to subside the foam and bubbles -- basically just squeeze the plastic bag with top open a few times - every day - squeeze the plastic bag all around. You should be able to tell which part of dough is more liquidy and others drier. So, use your hand and with "open close" hand motions to mix the starter well. Be sure to close the bag.



On day 10, it's time to prepare and mix the starter with your favorite ingredients.
Be aware that it has been taking minimum of 12 hours for the dough to complete the first rise at 65Degree room temperature.
A pot of warm water is used as well to aid in rising.

If you do not have anyone to share the Starter on the 10th day and you want to continue keeping the starter for the next baking, you can adjust the Day 10's ingredient feedings to the Starter - Flour, Sugar, and Milk mixture measurement to 1/4 Cup each rather than 1 Cup each.

Amish Sourdough Bread recipe posted at the web site posted above is very easy to make. I will change the amount of flour from 6 Cups to 4 Cups, and use melted butter rather than the "oil".
Some recipe variations to try:
1. 2 Cups Starter
2. 6 TBsp Sugar
3. 4 Cups Flour
4. 1 Cup warm milk and 1/4 Cup melted Unsalted Butter
5. 2 Eggs plus 1 Egg Yolk ---Keep the Egg White for egg white wash for bread.
6. 1 tsp salt
7. Optional - 1/2 Cup Coconut Powder.

Mix all ingredients and Knead well - about 10 minutes.
The dough should be very soft to the touch.
Brush a full teaspoon of oil in a large plastic container with a lid. The dough is almost difficult to handle without additional flour, but do not add extra flour.
Let it rise over night. When the dough doubles in size, punch down and make it into variety of shapes.
Place the shaped dough on top of non-stick baking pan with lips/sides.
Let it rise again till double.
Preheat oven to 325 - 350 degrees.
Prepare egg white and 1TBsp of water. Beat it up to mix water and egg white.
Use a pastry brush to brush egg white wash on raised dough.
Enjoy watching the wonderful bread turn into golden brown.
Depending on the size of the bread - 12 to 20 minutes of baking time.