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I'm not a huge fan of them, but they have a long history. For tea, the 花見団子 and the 月見団子 are most important. Normally, they are quite big (about 20 gr per ball), so it's almost a meal. However, for the tea setting, I think it's better if they are about 10 gr per ball.
花見団子
For 15 pieces tea-sized skewers:
Pink and green dough:
- 82 gr 上新粉
- 19 gr もち粉
- 6 gr potato starch
- 76 gr sugar
- 100 gr water
Mix, steam in cloth for 15', knead in baking sheet. Divide, then mix in rinsed chopped 塩桜 in one half and blanched 蓬 in the other. Form balls, wetting your hands slightly, steam those again for 5'.
White dough (idea with the soy milk from Argyi):
- 6 gr 白玉粉
- 57 gr 上新粉
- 35 gr sugar (slightly increased from the original recipe)
- 55 gr soy milk (slightly increased from the original recipe)
⚠️ Original recipe says to first skewer and then steam again; but I think like this it's easier for the balls to become somewhat irregular.
Famous types
- まゆ団子 (cocoon type), usually made on the 14.1 at home. They can be pierced onto a willow (or similar), representing a prayer for good (silk or rice) harvest.
- There are also some for 二十日・鬼の目・草・彼岸 (for the equinoxes)・八朔 (on August 1st), but they all look the same (I think).
Stories
- The colours of the 花見団子 could represent a cherry blossom viewing party: Sitting on the green grass, breathing the the fresh (= white) air under the pink blossoms.
- In ancient China they were called 「団喜」