Fried Soybean and Pork Dumplings
大豆の揚げ団子 · Daizu no Age Dango
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Daizu no age dango are bite-sized fried dumplings that stretch a little ground pork with chopped boiled soybeans, so children get plenty of plant protein without noticing the beans at all. Sautéing the onion first brings out its sweetness and keeps the mixture soft, and the potato starch binds everything so the balls hold together in the hot oil. With only salt for seasoning, the natural flavor of the pork and soybeans comes through, and the crunchy outside makes them fun to pick up and eat.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 13.5 gboiled soybeans (canned or vacuum-packed)Plain cooked whole soybeans sold in cans or pouches, ready to use. Substitute: Canned chickpeas or white beans.
- 27 gground pork
- 33 gonion
Seasonings
- 1.5 gvegetable oil
- 6 gpotato starch (katakuriko)Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness.
- 0.3 gsalt
- 6 gvegetable oil
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- boiled soybeans (canned or vacuum-packed) (大豆水煮)
- Plain cooked whole soybeans sold in cans or pouches, ready to use. Substitute: Canned chickpeas or white beans.
- potato starch (katakuriko) (かたくり粉)
- Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness. Read the guide: Katakuriko (Japanese Potato Starch) and What to Use Instead → Guide: japanese-school-lunch.com/articles/katakuriko-potato-starch/
Directions
- 1
Roughly chop the soybeans (or mash them).
- 2
Finely chop the onion. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion.
- 3
Add the soybeans from step 1, the onion from step 2, the potato starch and the salt to the ground pork, and mix well until the mixture becomes sticky.
- 4
Roll the mixture from step 3 into balls and deep-fry in oil at 170°C (340°F).
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 177 kcal | 354 kcal | 177 kcal |
| Protein | 7.1 g | 14.1 g | 7.1 g |
| Fat | 13.5 g | 27 g | 13.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 8.9 g | 17.7 g | 8.9 g |
| Fiber | 1.7 g | 3.3 g | 1.7 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.3 g | 0.6 g | 0.3 g |
| Calcium | 18 mg | 36 mg | 18 mg |
| Iron | 0.8 mg | 1.5 mg | 0.8 mg |
| Potassium | 201 mg | 402 mg | 201 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 177 kcal | 7.1 g | 13.5 g | 8.9 g | 1.7 g | 0.3 g | 18 mg | 0.8 mg | 201 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 354 kcal | 14.1 g | 27 g | 17.7 g | 3.3 g | 0.6 g | 36 mg | 1.5 mg | 402 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
