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Dango Exploration Part 1: Kesen Dango

2026年4月24日 10:47

Hello, this is Kiyono from the Akune City Community Revitalization Cooperation Squad🍃

Truth be told, I am a huge fan of dango.

When I first ate kesen dango after coming to Kagoshima, I was captivated by its indescribable aroma. I have been a fan of kesen dango ever since.
Local food culture and dango are inseparable. (Probably)

This time, I asked someone to teach me how to make these dango!

Ingredients (for 15 pieces)

・Glutinous rice flour (dango flour) 100g
・Powdered sweet bean paste 100-120g
・Sugar 100-120g
・Salt 1/2 teaspoon
・Water approx. 200g

・Kesen leaves: 2 leaves per dango

These are 'kesen leaves.' They are leaves from the cinnamon tree and are said to have antiseptic properties.
They grow in warm regions and have long been familiar as food and medicine.

How to make

1. Add all the dango flour, powdered sweet bean paste, sugar, and salt into a bowl and mix lightly.

2. Add water to the mixture from step 1 little by little and knead until it reaches the firmness of an earlobe.

The water absorption rate changes depending on the condition of the dango flour and the humidity of the day, so
add water little by little until it reaches the perfect consistency.

Finished kneading. My earlobes aren't very sensitive so I don't really know, but
they say to make it as soft as an earlobe.

3. Divide into 15 pieces. Shape them into an elongated form and wrap them with two leaves.

Shape them into an oval and sandwich them with the leaves.

Sandwich the dango so that the smooth side of the leaves is on the inside.

4. Steam in a steamer with rising steam for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Line them up in the steamer. Off you go.

Steam for 10 to 15 minutes in hot steam.

While steaming, the pleasant aroma of the kesen leaves filled the room.
The steamed dango also took on that refreshing scent, making them incredibly delicious. They have jumped to 3rd place in Seino's favorite dango ranking. (The rankings might change in the future, though.)

That concludes Dango Exploration Part 1: Kesen Dango Edition.
To be continued next time.