Glutinous rice ball - tang yuan (汤圆) is a traditional Chinese food/dessert made from glutinous rice flour mixed with a small amount of water to form balls and is then cooked and served in boiling sweet syrup or savoury broth. Tang yuan can be either small or large, and filled or unfilled. They are traditionally eaten during Chinese winter solstice (冬至). Tang yuan metaphorically means family-union and is also eaten during occasions of family/relatives re-union such as wedding ceremony with both the paternal and maternal family.
I remember making colorful small tang yuan with my late grandmother during winter solstice. Grandma liked to add a little bit of sugar into the glutinous rice mixture, and we have inherited the tradition ever since. Years later, when grandma gets older, we stop making our own tang yuan and just bought them during the festive. This year, while thousands of miles apart from my home country, in memory of my grandma, I decided to make my own tang yuan for winter solstice.
Peanut Glutinous Rice Ball (花生汤圆)
Makes 12
Ingredients:
115g (4 oz.) glutinous rice flour
90 ml water
Filling:
45g ground peanuts
2 tablespoons fine sugar
2 tablespoons peanut butter
Sugar Syrup:
600ml water cups water
100g sugar (or to taste)
2 screw pine leaves or pandan leaves (tie them into a knot, optional)
Method:
1. Mix all the ingredients of the filling in another bowl until well-combined and that it can be easily shape into a ball. Add a little more peanut butter if the filling is dry. Divide into 12 balls.
2. In a big bowl, mix the glutinous rice flour with the water until it forms a smooth paste and no longer sticks to your hands. Roll the mixture into a long rod shape and divide it equally into 12. I reserve the 10 for use with filling and use the remaining to make small tang yuan. Pink is just by adding tiny bit of red food coloring.
3. Flatten each mixture portion and then place the filling in the middle of the flatten ball. Fold the edge to seal the rice ball. Lightly roll it into a ball shape using both palms. Make sure the peanut balls are completely wrapped by the dough else it will leak when boiling later. Set aside.
4. Prepare the sugar syrup by boiling the water. Add the screw pine leaves into the water and boil for 10-15 minutes with medium heat. Add sugar and boil for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.
5. Heat up another pot of boiling water. Drop the rice balls into the hot boiling water. Stir the pot occasionally to prevent the rice balls from sticking the pot. As soon as they float to the top, transfer them out on a serving bowl and top with sugar syrup.
6. Serve the glutinous rice balls immediately. Almost like home :)
I don't have rainbow palette of food coloring in my pantry so I decided to make use of what I have and make an assortment of big and small tang yuan, the big one filled with peanut and the small ones in pink & white.
Peanut Glutinous Rice Ball (花生汤圆)
Makes 12
Ingredients:
115g (4 oz.) glutinous rice flour
90 ml water
Filling:
45g ground peanuts
2 tablespoons fine sugar
2 tablespoons peanut butter
Sugar Syrup:
600ml water cups water
100g sugar (or to taste)
2 screw pine leaves or pandan leaves (tie them into a knot, optional)
Method:
1. Mix all the ingredients of the filling in another bowl until well-combined and that it can be easily shape into a ball. Add a little more peanut butter if the filling is dry. Divide into 12 balls.
2. In a big bowl, mix the glutinous rice flour with the water until it forms a smooth paste and no longer sticks to your hands. Roll the mixture into a long rod shape and divide it equally into 12. I reserve the 10 for use with filling and use the remaining to make small tang yuan. Pink is just by adding tiny bit of red food coloring.
3. Flatten each mixture portion and then place the filling in the middle of the flatten ball. Fold the edge to seal the rice ball. Lightly roll it into a ball shape using both palms. Make sure the peanut balls are completely wrapped by the dough else it will leak when boiling later. Set aside.
4. Prepare the sugar syrup by boiling the water. Add the screw pine leaves into the water and boil for 10-15 minutes with medium heat. Add sugar and boil for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.
6. Serve the glutinous rice balls immediately. Almost like home :)
Leftover can be kept in freezer for up to months. Frozen tang yuan should be cooked directly, do not defrost. Once the tang yuan floats to the surface of boiling water, they are cooked.
Ginger or Osmanthus (sweet olive) can be added into the sugar syrup based on personal liking. The peanut filling can be replaced with red bean, sesame or even chocolate, for a little modern flare ;)
Enjoy.
Comments
Post a Comment