Tsukimi dango (moon-viewing dumplings)

Step 1: Mix 5 ½ oz joshinko (rice flour), 1 ¾ oz shiratamako (glutinous rice flour) and 1 tbsp sugar in a bowl. Pour in ¾ cup hot water gradually, stirring with chopsticks, then knead when cool enough to handle into a crumbly dough that holds when squeezed.

Step 2: Line a steamer with a damp cloth, break the dough into walnut-sized lumps and steam over a high heat for 15–20 minutes, until the lumps look slightly translucent and feel springy.

Step 3: Tip the hot dough into the damp cloth, wrap it and knead it through the cloth, then with wet hands, for 3–4 minutes until smooth and glossy, like soft earlobe. Common mistake: letting it cool before kneading. The dough stays lumpy and the dumplings crack.

Step 4: Roll into a log, cut into 15 equal pieces and roll each between wet palms into a smooth ball about 3 cm across.

Step 5: Cool the balls on a tray for 5 minutes, then stack them on a plate lined with paper: 9 as a square base, 4 on top and 2 at the peak.

Step 6: After the moon-viewing, eat the dumplings the same day with 3 tbsp kinako (roasted soybean flour) or 5 ½ oz sweet red bean paste (anko). If they have firmed up, toast them lightly in a dry pan until soft again.