“Nabekko-Dango,” a Dango dumpling of kneaded rice flour served with azuki bean paste, is the local traditional dish in the southern area of Aomori Prefecture. There are various origins of its name, one of which they call “Nabekko-Dango” because the figure, formed round and pressed its middle in, looks like “nabe (pot).” Depending on the region, people also call it “Hechoco-Dango (hechoco means navel in the local dialect).” Local people also made it as an offering to Agricultural Gods and Daishi (honorific title in Buddhism) during celebrations, such as “Tenorie,” a festival praying for a good harvest after the completion of the rice-planting work, or “Aki-jimai” festival at the end of autumn after the harvest.
Ingredients [5 serving(s)]
- 125g rice flour
- 100g azuki beans (red beans)
- 60g sugar
- 5g salt
Directions
- Soak azuki beans in water overnight, and place them with plenty of water in a pot and cook slowly over low heat. With adding water, sometimes, smash half the beans using a wooden spatula and taste with sugar and salt.
- Pour hot water over rice flour, stir using chopsticks and knead by hand until it becomes a little firmer than an earlobe.
- Form the kneaded dough into a round shape of 1cm-diameter to make Dango dumplings and press its middle with one’s thumb to make a dent.
- Put the dumplings in the azuki paste in step 1 and simmer on low heat. When the dumplings are floating, serve them in a bowl.
