# Kahou Dango ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Kahou Dango

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Prefectural southern region

## Main Ingredients Used
rice flour（non-glutinous rice flour）, glutinous rice flour, wood pieces from the Hagi plant, Azuki beans, sugar, salt

## History, Origin, and Related Events
Kahou dango (rice dumpling) is a confectionery dish offered on December 24th (November 24th in Japan's lunisolar calendar) for a folk event called "Daishiko." In the past, when Buddhist teacher Kobo Daishi stayed at a farmhouse of the poor, he was served dango made by the family and found that there was straw inside rice dumplings. There is a tale that says Kobo Daishi was not upset at this whatsoever, and instead went on to preach about kindness and hospitality towards others. It's said that the poor farmers had an abundant harvest every year after this encounter. Kahou Dango, which came to be prepared in association with this tale, is made by sticking wood pieces from the Hagi plant that resembles "Kahou" (karmic retribution), and offering them to a Kamidana (Shinto altar) along with walking sticks and chopsticks made of Hagi. It was an enjoyable dish to children, because it's said that when you happen upon a dango that has a "Kahou" wood piece inside, "karmic retribution is bestowed upon you, which means good luck.” If this "Kahou" is offered to a Kamidana (Shinto altar), it is said to turn into money the next morning.Azuki beans were not only a food to eat on special days, but were also seen as convenient and nutritious food source during winter time.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
This dish is offered and eaten on" Daishiko" , which falls on December 24th (November 24th on the Lunisolar calendar). It is currently enjoyed as an event that involves playful elements of "winning karmic retribution," where it is made and eaten together with children within local youth organizations.

## How to Eat
Dango (rice dumpling), made from rice flour, are put into thin porridge made of azuki beans and rice and then eaten. A piece of Hagi resembling "Kahou" is put inside a portion of the dango. There are also recipes where rice dumplings are put in a soy sauce-based soup containing ingredients such as daikon radish, carrots, burdock root, dried shiitake mushrooms, chicken, and mitsuba leaf. Some regions use mochi (rice cakes) instead of dango (rice dumplings)

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(An outline of the stories, about the preservation society, social media use, and modern ideas like commercialization etc.)In order to pass on this local cuisine, it is also incorporated into school lunch menus. It is also sold at local farmer's markets in the areas it is produced. Iwate Prefecture has acknowledged certain individuals and organizations who are certified as "Iwate Food Artisans" to pass down these local cuisines, and there are even "Iwate Food Artisans" for "Kahou dango".

## Ingredients
- [Dango (rice dumpling)]: 
- rice flour（non-glutinous rice flour）: 320 grams
- Hot water: 200 cc (milliliters)
- [Dumpling Soup]: 
- Soup stock: 800 cc (milliliters)
- Water: 1,000 cc (milliliters)
- Kombu kelp: 20 centimeters
- Katsuobushi (sliced dried bonito flakes): 20 grams
- Daikon radish: 100 grams
- Carrots: 30 grams
- Burdock root: 20 grams
- Chicken: 80 grams
- Mitsuba leaf: 20 grams
- Dried shiitake mushrooms: 3
- Soy sauce: 1.5 to 2 tablespoons
- Cooking sake: 1 tablespoon
- Salt: 1／3 teaspoon
- Hagi pieces: as needed
- [Azuki Dango]: 
- Azuki beans: 150 grams
- Sugar: 150 grams
- salt: A pinch
- Water approximately: 600 to 700 cc (milliliters)

## Recipe
1. 1. [Dango rice dumpling] Knead the rice flour while adding the hot water little by little until it has the softness of an earlobe. Shape the dough into 64 individual round dumplings, place the Hagi wood pieces in several, and clean up the outer appearance, so that no wood pieces are visible. Boil the dumplings until they float to the surface, dunk them in cold water, and strain them using a colander.
2. 2. [Dumpling Soup Stock] Add water and Kombu kelp to a pot, turn on the burner, and take out the Kombu kelp just before the water starts to boil.
3. 3. Reduce to medium heat, add the bonito flakes, remove pot from heat immediately before it starts to boil, and wait for the bonito flakes to sink to the bottom.
4. 4. Put a colander on either cooking paper or cheese cloth and strain the result from step three.
5. 5. [Soup Dumplings] Cut the daikon radish and carrots into chunks and shave the burdock root into thin slices. Soak the dried shiitake mushroom and slice into strips. Cut the mitsuba leaf into 3 centimeter pieces. Cut the chicken into easy-to-eat pieces and blanch it.
6. 6. Add the daikon, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms into the dashi soup stock and allow it to simmer. Add in the burdock root and chicken when it starts to boil, and once everything has been boiled, season with soy sauce, sake, and salt.
7. 7. Add in the dango rice dumplings, bring everything back to a boil, turn off the heat, and serve with the mitsuba leaf as a garnish.
8. 8. [Azuki Sweet Red Bean Paste and Dango Rice Dumpings] Wash the azuki beans, add them to a pot with enough water to cover the beans, and drain the water once it boils. Repeat by adding water to the pot, bring it to a boil, and drain the water once it reaches boiling.
9. 9. Add water to the pot with azuki beans, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and allow the azuki beans to cook until soft.
10. 10. Add sugar in two or three divisions to step 9 so that it can simmer without burning. Once the water has simmered out, add salt and turn off the heat.
11. 11. [Azuki Dango] Add the bean paste to a pot, turn on the heat, and cook it to your desired thickness while adding hot water.
12. 12. Add in the dango and turn off the heat once it boils.

## Provider Information
provider : "Iwate Prefecture Food Artisan" (Mutsuko Tachiki)

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