In the heart of Kamura Village, nestled between the winding wooden bridges and the steady hum of the forge, lies the Tea Shop, run by the cheerful chef, Yomogi. This cafe is the heartbeat of Kamura; it’s where hunters and villagers alike gather before setting out into the wild, sharing stories, laughter, and steaming skewers of Bunny Dango. These colorful rice dumplings aren’t just a snack; in Kamura, they’re a ritual of strength and good fortune. According to Yomogi, these Bunny Dango skewers arechock-full of nutrients, giving hunters the stamina and vigor they need before a hunt, with each variety offering unique effects and flavors. Sweet, chewy, and comforting, the Bunny Dango symbolize unity, joy, and readiness, a small but essential tradition before venturing off into a monster hunt.
To bring the Bunny Dango to life, I’ve recreated the classic pink-white-green skewer that’s most often seen in the village (or at least the one I made most often when I played). Each color carries its own simple flavor: strawberry for the pink, vanilla for the white, and matcha for the green. Rather than using food coloring, we’ll be drawing natural shades from the ingredients themselves, keeping the dango light, aromatic, and true to its roots. A gentle brush of sweet soy glaze finishes them with the same glossy sheen you’d expect from Yomogi’s Tea Shop, which will add a nice hint of sweetness and earth to the dango. Whether you’re preparing for a real hunt or just a cozy evening at home, these Bunny Dango bring a little bit of Kamura spirit to your kitchen.
Ingredients
1 cup glutinous rice flour, divided, plus additional for dusting
1¼ cup plus 1 tbsp warm water, divided
3 tbsp sugar, divided
½ tsp matcha powder
½ tsp dried strawberry powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
Glaze
1½ tbsp soy sauce
3½ tbsp sugar
2 tbsp mirin
1 tsp cornstarch mixed
1½ tbsp soy sauce
3½ tbsp sugar
2 tbsp mirin
1 tsp cornstarch mixed
In order to make the bunny dango, we first need to make each of the three doughs. We’ll start with the green matcha dough.
In a bowl, add ⅓ cup of glutinous rice flour along with 1 tbsp of sugar and ½ tsp matcha powder. Whisk them together to fully blend.
Now, add 3 tbsp of warm water and mix with a spatula or by hand to start to form a dough. Continue to add 1 tbsp of warm water at a time, mixing and kneading between each addition until you have a smooth, pliable dough. You will likely need 4-6 tbsp of water to achieve this consistency in your dough. The dough is correct when it holds together cleanly (not crumbly), feels soft and smooth, like playdough, and isn’t sticky enough to cling to your hands or the bowl.
Once the dough is fully formed, knead it a little with your hand until it is smooth and elastic, then roll it into a ball, and set it aside on a plate under a kitchen towel.
In another bowl, combine ⅓ cup of glutinous rice flour along with 1 tbsp of sugar and ½ tsp strawberry powder. Whisk them together to fully blend.
Repeat the same process with the warm water and mixing/kneading to create the pink dough. Roll it into a ball and place it on the plate under the towel with the green dough.
Lastly, in one more bowl, combine ⅓ cup of glutinous rice flour along with 1 tbsp of sugar. Whisk them together to fully blend.
Add 1 tsp of vanilla extract along with the 3 tbsp of warm water and mix together well to begin to form the dough. From here continue the same process as the prior two dough batches, adding the warm water and mixing/kneading to create the white dough. Roll it into a ball and place it on the plate under the towel with the green and pink doughs.
Now that we have our dough made, we will make the dango balls. Take the green dough ball out from under the towel and roll it into small balls of about one inch in diameter each. Repeat this process with each of the batches of dough. You will likely get about half a dozen dango balls from each batch of dough.
While you are rolling the dough into balls, set a pot of water over medium high heat and bring it to a gentle boil. Use a pot large enough to drop all of your dango balls into in one batch.
Also prepare an ice bath in another bowl with ice and water (large enough to hold all of the dango balls).
Once the water comes to a boil, lower the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer. Carefully place the dango balls into the water and allow them to cook. Once the dango balls float to the surface of the water, allow them to cook for an additional 2 minutes, then remove the from the water with a slotted spoon. Place the dang balls into the ice bath to cool.
While they cool, we can prepare the glaze for the dango balls. In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, sugar, and mirin, and bring them to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves.
In a small bowl on the side, combine the 1 tsp of cornstarch with 1 tbsp of water. Whisk or stir these together until they form a slurry paste. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the glaze in the pot, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until thickened and glossy. Let the finished sauce cool slightly; it should coat the back of a spoon like syrup.
Once the dango balls and the glaze are cool, remove them from the ice bath and place the balls on a skewer. Push a green ball carefully onto a skewer followed by a white ball and then lastly a pink ball. Repeat this process until all of the skewers are made. Brush the glaze lightly over the dango skewers.
For additional decoration, use a nori puncher to punch faces out of nori seaweed sheets and arrange the faces on the top pink dango balls.
Your bunny dango is ready to eat. Serve immediately for the best texture and shine. Enjoy!
Learn more about Bunny Dango Meals from Monster Hunter Rise at the Monster Hunter Rise Wiki.