Ikinari Dango Sweet Potato Dumplings
The origin of the name of the snack food ikinari dango (“spur-of-the-moment dumplings”) is said to come from the fact that it can be made in advance, rapidly heated, and served to unexpected visitors. Traditionally, people in Kumamoto always had a stock of ikinari dango ready just for such occasions.
A slice of sweet potato is covered with a layer of sweet red bean paste and wrapped in rice-flour dough. It is then steamed for a couple of minutes and served piping hot. Traditionally, red beans were expensive and therefore served only on special, often auspicious, occasions.
There are a number of variations on the ikinari dango theme. The dumpling can be made with different kinds of sweet potato, with white bean rather than red bean paste, or even with chestnuts, another specialty of Kyushu. Ikinari dango are one of the three great local specialties of Kumamoto, along with mustard-stuffed deep-fried lotus root (karashi renkon) and horsemeat sashimi (basashi).