Handmade Kiritanpo and Damako Traditional Rice Dumplings from Akita Prefecture

1. 1

   Rinse the rice and cook as usual.

2. 2

   In our house we make the dumplings whenever we have a lot of leftover rice.

3. 3

   Put the cooked rice in a sturdy plastic bag, and pound it over the bag with your hands, until the rice grains are partly smushed.

4. 4

   Combine water and salt.

5. 5

   The water should be a bit salty.

6. 6

   Moisten your hands with the salt water and form the dumplings.

7. 7

   See step 5 for kiritanpo, and step 6 for damako.

8. 8

   To make kiritanpo: Form the rice around disposable chopsticks.

9. 9

   Press and stretch the rice around the chopstick evenly.

10. 10

    This may be a bit difficult.

11. 11

    To make damako: Roll golf ball sized balls of rice between your palms.

12. 12

    You can coat them with katakuriko as I did here, or grill them.

13. 13

    Cook the kiritanpo in a frying pan until lightly browned on the surface.

14. 14

    If they burn a bit, it's ok.

15. 15

    When you eat them in a hot pot they will be very nutty and fragrant.

16. 16

    Finished!

17. 17

    Here are some extra tips:

18. 18

    You can freeze these as well.

19. 19

    Line on parchment paper, and store in a closed plastic container.

20. 20

    If you spread sweet miso paste on kiritanpo, you'll have an Akita specialty called Miso Kiritanpo.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.