Sweets
Oae Dango
Oae dango — rice-flour dumplings wrapped in tofu-vegetable shira-ae
Rice-flour dumplings are wrapped in a shira-ae dressing of tofu mashed with carrot, shiitake, and greens. Mildly sweet enough to serve alongside tea, the dish from the Moriyama and Yasu area is traditionally made for Buddhist memorial gatherings.
- Origin: Shiga
- About 350 km west of Tokyo
Lineage
What it's made of
Oae-dango tosses rice-flour dumplings into shiraae, a tofu-based dressing mixed with carrot, shiitake, and greens. It's said to have long been made in the Moriyama and Yasu areas, and because it contains dumplings, it's said to double as a treat to go with tea. The smooth richness of the shiraae and the chewy bite of the dumplings come together, making it a dish that combines two foods into one.
How it's made
Dumpling flour is kneaded with water until it reaches the firmness of an earlobe, then shaped into rounds and boiled. Roasted sesame is ground in a mortar, with sugar and miso worked in further. Tofu, drained and squeezed dry in a cloth, is added, along with parboiled shiitake, konnyaku, carrot, and komatsuna, to make the shiraae dressing. The boiled, cooled dumplings are then wrapped in the dressing to finish.
Why it took this shape
Some households use a vegetable miso dressing instead of shiraae, mixing in the rice-flour dumplings the same way, and a version made with greens and miso is said to be called kuki-dango. It's said to be eaten mainly at memorial services, and because it can be made simply from vegetables and rice flour available year-round, it's thought to have also been eaten as everyday fare.
Before You Go
- How to shop in a depachika (department store food hall)A guide to browsing prepared foods and bento, choosing wagashi as a gift with a good shelf life, sampling etiquette, end-of-day discounts, asking for cold packs and wrapping, and finding your way around a depachika floor.
- Osechi and zoni for the New YearA guide to the meaning behind osechi's tiered boxes, the regional differences in zoni (square vs. round mochi, clear vs. miso broth), and the nanakusa-gayu custom.
- Setsubun: ehomaki and lucky beansA guide to ehomaki, the uncut sushi roll said to be eaten facing a lucky direction on Setsubun, and to mamemaki, the bean-throwing custom with roasted lucky beans.
Dishes in the same style
- Abekawa MochiFresh-pounded rice cake is dusted in soybean flour mixed with sugar. Named for the Abe River, it's said to have been famous among Tokaido travelers as a teahouse specialty and to appear in the travel novel Tokaidochu Hizakurige.
- Iga ManjuSweet bean paste is wrapped in rice flour dough, then coated with dyed sticky rice grains. One account ties the name to the grains' resemblance to a chestnut's spiny husk, and in the western Mikawa region it's said to be offered to Hina dolls at the Doll Festival.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Also from Shiga
- Aka Konnyaku NiKonjac dyed reddish with iron oxide, a specialty of Omi-Hachiman, is pan-simmered with bonito flakes and soy sauce. The color holds even after cooking, and the dish is a fixture at ceremonial meals and school lunches alike.
- Amenoio GohanA whole Lake Biwa trout, migrating upstream to spawn, is set atop rice and cooked together; "amenoio" means "rain fish," a name tied to the trout's autumn run after rainfall. The flesh and roe are flaked and mixed through the rice, traditionally made in large pots for gatherings.
- Biwamasu SashimiBiwamasu, a trout found only in Lake Biwa, is filleted and served raw as sashimi. The fish grows richest from early to midsummer and is prized locally as "the jewel of Lake Biwa" — a fish so scarce that it rarely reaches markets beyond the lakeshore.
- Chojifu no Karashi AeChojifu, a square baked wheat gluten unique to Shiga, is paired with cucumber and dressed in mustard-miso vinegar. The gluten also appears in Buddhist vegetarian meals, and its chewy texture with a refreshing tang makes the dish a staple at family gatherings.
- Dongame JiruEggplant scored with a crosshatch pattern is simmered in dashi, then finished with miso and ground sesame. Said to originate in the merchant town of Gokasho, the name compares the muddy look of the sesame in the broth and the eggplant's scored skin to a turtle's shell.
- Ebi MameFreshwater shrimp from Lake Biwa are simmered sweet-savory with soybeans. Inexpensive and long-keeping, the dish is eaten as everyday fare, but is also served at New Year's with a wish for long life — that one might live, like the bent-backed shrimp, into old age.