The penultimate day before Spring Break, as it were, my schedule read that I should go to an elementary school whose staff were very surprised to see me upon arrival. No English classes could be done that day, so I was at a loss as to why my board of education supervisor hadn’t informed me, wondering if I had just forgot. That morning the taxi didn’t come to my apartment, so I thought they forgot for the second time in the morning, and I just called the up to request a ride.
In any case, it was decided after the vice principal contacted the board of education that I’d spend the morning through school lunch at the school and then head back to the BOE office for the remainder of the day. In the time at the school, I was invited to make 団子 (dango) sweet dumplings with the first and second graders, in two sessions.
These dumplings don’t have a filing, rather the extra element is put on their exterior.
The first graders made 黄粉団子 Kinako Dango, a rather simple version of these sweet dumplings and the variety topped with sweet soy powder and eaten with toothpicks. It’s a five step process:
Steps 1~2: Mix rice powder with tofu and roll 1-inch balls.
Steps 3~4: Boil in water until the spheres rise to the top.
Step 5: Let cool for a minute, then spread sweet soy powder over them. Enjoy!
These taste like what you might expect: A mochi version of powdered doughnuts with their own little unique flavour.
The second graders made a more ambitious version of sweet dumplings, the 御手洗団子 Mitarashi Dango variety, which uses a sweet glaze with the appearance of caramel from caramel apples. Also, I learned how to make a moth-shaped cut of apples that’s really cute. This time, not only was the second grade teacher there, but also a few moms.
Step 1: Mix tofu with rice powder and knead until mixture has the consistency of one's lower earlobe.
Steps 2~3: Roll 3 cm balls and boil until they rise to the top.
Steps 4~5: Put dumplings on skewers and gently fry and turn until it shows a light brown colour, like that of a fox.
Step 6: Make the syrup topping - heat sugar, mirin, and soy sauce in a saucepan until it thickens.
Step 7: Scoop the thickened syrup onto the skewered dumplings.
Step 8: Stuff yourself full of sweet dumpling goodness right before school lunch! Oof!
Like I said, I made and was obligated to eat my share of dumplings in the periods leading up to school lunch, which was a tasty and not-beef-based curry but still was too much food. It was a different experience, with only the two fifth graders and the fifth and sixth grade teacher there, a little lonely, since the sixth graders had graduated already and weren’t coming to school anymore.
