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Pumpkin Dango aka Sticky Rice Balls with Gochujang Sauce

Use your leftover pumpkins to make these dream treats! Chewy, soft, bouncy, pillowy pumpkin sticky rice balls glazed with a rich, sweet, and spicy gochujang sauce. Treat yourself or make this for a holiday party - guarantee it'll be the star at any gathering!


Do you have pieces of pumpkins leftover from the Halloween season or other recipes? A quarter of a pumpkin leftover from a pumpkin pie, or a slice or two from pumpkin soup? Don't waste them and make them into these dreamy little rice balls! Only THREE ingredients needed!


These pumpkin dango are made of only real pumpkin and glutinous rice flour, plus a little matcha for the green stem part. They're super easy and fun to make as well! It's like playing with playdough - no like literally, I felt like I was a preschooler making fun shapes with the soft colorful dough, brings back such joyful memories :)


You can eat these dango just as is, they're hearty and subtly sweet from the pumpkin. Or, up the flavor game even. more by making a serving sauce! I did a sweet and spicy gochujang sauce, it adds such a punch of flavor and a little heat to the dish. 


If you try this don't forget to tag me on Instagram and Tiktok I'd love to see your creations! ^^

INGREDIENTS:

120 g peeled pumpkin
120 g glutinous rice flour

For the green stem -
1 tablespoon glutinous rice flour
1/4 teaspoon matcha
1 tablespoon water

For the Gochujang glaze -
2 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon gochujang paste
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon coconut amino
1-2 tablespoon water
Cooking oil

TO MAKE:

- Peel and thinly slice the pumpkin, transfer to a steaming drawer;
- Steam for 10 - 15 minutes until it's fork tender;
- Mash the steamed pumpkin with a fork or potato masher into a fine paste, then add the glutinous rice flour, bring together and knead to form a dough;
- Please note that different brands of glutinous rice flour have different levels of "moisture" in them, so adjust the amount of flour and pumpkin puree accordingly, you wanna form a dough that's soft but not sticky;
- Bring together the ingredients for the green stem part and form another dough;
- Take about 25 gram of pumpkin dough, or your preferred size, roll into a ball;
- Use a cotton string to create the creases to look like pumpkins;
- Take a small piece of the matcha dough and pinch with your thumb and index finger to shape it into a stem, attach it to the top of the pumpkin ball;
- Repeat till you use up all the dough;
- Bring a large pot of water to boil, gently drop the pumpkin balls into the water one by one, don't. over crowd the pot;
- Boil until they float to the surface;
- Meanwhile, make the glaze, fry off the garlic with a drizzle of cooking oil till aromatic, about 2 minutes;
- Then add gochujang paste, soy sauce, and coconut amino, stir to make sure the gochujang is fully dissolved;
- Add the water and bring to a gentle simmer, let the sauce reduce to your preferred thickness;
- Once the pumpkin balls float to the surface, strain them out, serve warm with the glaze, enjoy!

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