Tang Yuan Glutinous Rice Balls Recipes

TANG YUAN RECIPE (PEANUT OR BLACK SESAME SEED FILLING)

Steps:

• Toast the seeds and nuts separately in a pan on the stove.
• Let them cool. Then add them separately to a blender along with the sugar and process until they form a paste.
• Remove the mixture to a bowl and add half the lard each to the peanut and the sesame seed paste. Mix until it forms a doughy consistency.
• Roll them into 10 portions each. Refrigerate the filling balls in the fridge until ready to use.
• For the dough, add boiling water into a heatproof bowl containing the glutinous rice flour. Stir continuously.
• Add room temperature water to the mixture little by a little while stirring slowly.
• Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and no longer sticky.
• Divide into 20 equal parts. Roll them into balls.
• Wrap the filling in the dough by flattening the dough balls into a circle, placing the ball of filling in the centre, and pushing up slowly until the wrapper completely covers the filling.
• Boil a large pot (around 1.5 litres) of water. Add the brown sugar and ginger. Once it boils, add the glutinous rice balls carefully. Move them with a spoon to prevent them from sticking.
• When the tang yuan float to the top, cook for a minute more and then dish out along with the syrup.
• Serve warm, or refrigerate and then serve cold. Keep the serving liquid warm so that the filling stays runny.

TANG YUAN (GLUTINOUS RICE BALLS) RECIPE

Steps:

• To Make the Filling: Grind the seeds or nuts in a mortar and pestle to a fine but not powdery consistency. In a small saucepan, melt the lard. In a small bowl, mix the lard with the sugar and ground nuts. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes before use.
• To Make the Skin: Mix the 2 flours together and add the water to make a soft but non-sticky dough. Divide the dough in half. Working on a surface dusted with rice flour, roll each half into a cylinder about 1 1/2 inches thick and cut the dough into segments about 1 inch wide.
• To Cook the Dumplings: Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the dumplings and gently stir to prevent sticking at the bottom of the pot. Simmer for 15 minutes, taking care not to let the water boil vigorously or else the dumpling skins will tear. The dumplings are done when the skins are almost translucent. Ladle the dumplings into soup bowls along with the cooking water.

GLUTINOUS RICE BALLS (TANG YUAN)

Steps:

• In a large pot, add water, sliced ginger, rock sugar and knotted pandan leaves. Cover with a lid. Bring to a boil and reduce to a rolling simmer for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, add glutinous rice flour, icing sugar and whisk together. Then add hot boiling water and whisk again to form a dry ball of dough.
• Roll the dough into little balls about 1 inch in diameter and coat with rice flour to prevent it from sticking.
• Once complete, boil as many rice balls as desired in your sweet broth until they float. Enjoy!
• DISCLAIMER: Natural food colouring will add a taste as they are made with natural ingredients, such as green matcha powder, blue butterfly pea powder, red beet root powder and yellow turmeric powder. If you'd like to avoid tasting these natural ingredients, please substitute with 1-2+ drops of food colouring until you reach your desired colour of choice. Now proceed with recipe....
• In a large pot, add water, sliced ginger, rock sugar and knotted pandan leaves. Cover with a lid. Bring to a boil and reduce to a rolling simmer for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in 4 separate bowls add 50 grams of rice flour, 10 grams of icing sugar and 1/2 -1 tsp of coloured powder to each bowl (except the fourth which will be plain). Whisk dry ingredients.
• Then add 30 ml of hot boiling water. Whisk again to form dry dough ball.
• Roll the dough into little balls about 1 inch in diameter and coat with rice flour to prevent it from sticking.
• Once complete, boil as many rice balls as desired in your sweet broth until they float. Enjoy!

STICKY RICE BALLS THREE WAYS (汤圆: 鲜肉, 芝麻, 菜猪油 | TANG YUáN: XIāN RòU, ZHī MA, CàI ZHū YóU)

Steps:

• Meat filling:
• Combine the pork, soy sauces, salt, wine, and sugar and, using chopsticks, stir in one direction until well combined. Add the sesame oil, white pepper, and ginger-scallion water and stir until the liquid is completely incorporated and the mixture resembles a paste. Add the pi dong and gently mix. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
• Sesame filling:
• Toast the black and white sesame seeds in a pan over low for 3 to 5 minutes, keeping an eye on them, as they can burn suddenly. Once toasted, the sesame seeds will be slightly darker in color, very fragrant, and easily crushable between your fingers.
• Grind the sesame seeds with a mortar and pestle while still warm (or use a food processor). When the seeds start to release their oils, add the sugar. Continue to grind for 1 minute. Add the dried Osmanthus and the salt. Grind for another 2 to 3 minutes, until mostly homogenous. Add 1 tablespoon of water and the lard, using a fork to combine thoroughly. Alternatively, this process can be done easily in a food processor: first grind the sesame seeds, then add the sugar, ½ teaspoon of the Osmanthus, and salt. Add the water and pork with a fork as above. Refrigerate to harden for 30 minutes-this will facilitate the assembly process.
• Greens filling:
• In a pot of boiling water with a pinch of salt, blanch the yu choy until the greens are vibrant green, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer immediately to an ice-water bath. Drain and wring to remove excess water, then chop as finely as you can. Combine the greens with the sugar, ginger, salt, lard, and sesame oil until well combined. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Rice ball dough:
• Make a well in the center of the rice flour. Stream in ½ cup (120 ml) of the warm water, mixing with chopsticks continuously until a loose mixture starts to come together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until a tacky (but not sticky) dough comes together. If the dough sticks to your hand, add more glutinous rice flour. If it's too dry, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time. It should have a texture much like Play-Doh. Knead until smooth, about 3 minutes.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil over high. Pinch and roll 1 teaspoon of dough into a ball, then gently flatten into a disc. Boil it until the rice ball rises, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the rice ball with a slotted spoon and let cool slightly. Incorporate the cooked rice ball into the dough, kneading until completely incorporated and smooth. This extra step will make the dough super malleable and elastic, creating a silky soft and chewy texture when cooked. Set the dough aside and cover with plastic or with a damp towel. Let rest for 20 minutes.
• Rice ball assemby:
• Divide the dough in half, and keep one half covered while you work. On a lightly floured surface, with your hands roll the dough into a log 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. Divide it into 6 equal pieces (about 35 g each) and roll the pieces into balls. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap.
• Working with one dough ball at a time, use your thumb to press down the center while your fingers press the edges up into a bowl shape. Take 1 teaspoon of filling and place it in the middle of the wrapper. Close the edges. Wrap your right hand around and squeeze gently while drawing up the sides of the ball and slowly pinching the opening closed. If making meat balls, the traditional shape is a teardrop: Simply close the edges and pinch the dough off to make a teardrop shape. If making sesame balls, gently place the ball pinched side down, then roll quickly but lightly to smooth out. If making greens balls, shape into a rounded cylinder.
• Repeat with the rest of the dough. At this point, you can freeze the rice balls until just before you're ready to serve or up to 3 months. They'll also last in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 1 day.
• To cook the meat and greens rice balls:
• Fill a large pot with water to 1 inch (2.5 cm) below the rim and bring to a boil over high. Gently slide in up to 4 rice balls at a time, stirring gently to prevent sticking.
• Bring the water back to a gentle simmer, then keep the heat on medium-high to stay just below boiling-if you reach boiling the rice balls will overcook. Once the balls float, after about 5 minutes, simmer for another 5 to 6 minutes. If cooking from frozen, cook for an additional 2 minutes.
• Serve hot with some of the stock they cooked in-this stock isn't meant to be slurped up, but is a way to keep the rice balls hot for consumption. Be careful when eating: The pi dong will become soupy, and we are often scalded when we eat these!
• To cook the sesame rice balls:
• Fill a large pot with water to 1 inch (2.5 cm) below the rim and bring to a boil over high. Gently slide in up to 4 rice balls at a time, stirring gently to prevent sticking.
• Bring the water back to a gentle simmer, then keep the heat on medium-high to stay just below boiling-if you reach boiling the rice balls will overcook.
• Cook for 5 minutes, until the balls float to the top. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of Osmanthus and cook for another 30 seconds. Serve hot, with sweet fermented glutinous rice wine, or with candied Osmanthus, or dried Osmanthus, or both, or none-the variations are endless.
• Ginger-Scallion Water: In a blender, combine 2 thin slices (about ½ ounce/15 g) fresh ginger, 2 scallions, and ½ cup (120 ml) of water and blend on high until puréed. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and reserve the flavored water.

GLUTINOUS RICE BALLS (TANG YUAN) RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Make the fillings: Add the sesame seeds to a small nonstick pan. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until they start to smell nutty, 3-4 minutes.
• Transfer the sesame seeds to a small food processor with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Process until the seeds break down into a thick, cohesive paste. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and process until smooth. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until hardened, at least 1 hour or up to 4 days.
• Clean the bowl of the food processor, then repeat the toasting and blending process with the peanuts, remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, and remaining tablespoon of butter. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until hardened, at least 1 hour or up to 4 days.
• Divide the sesame paste into 10 equal portions, about 1½ teaspoons each. Repeat with the peanut paste. Freeze until ready to use.
• Make the brown sugar ginger syrup: Add the water, brown sugar, and ginger to a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, 3-5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until ready to serve. (Alternatively, if you prefer to serve the tang yuan in hot syrup, cover to keep warm until ready to serve.)
• Make the dough: Add the glutinous rice flour to a large bowl. Slowly pour in the boiling water and whisk until combined. Slowly pour in the room temperature water and stir with a rubber spatula until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead with your hands until smooth and soft, 2-3 minutes.
• Divide the dough in 2 portions. Set one portion aside and cover with a damp paper towel, then return the other portion to the bowl used to make the dough. Add a couple of drops of pink food coloring and knead with your hands (wear latex gloves to avoid dyeing your hands pink) until the color is evenly distributed.
• Roll each color of dough into 10 equal balls, about 1 tablespoon each. Place on a tray and cover with a damp paper towel to keep from drying out as you roll.
• Working one at a time, flatten each dough ball into a 2-inch circle. Press your thumb into the center to make a divot, then add one of the chilled filling balls to the divot and pull the dough around to encase. Roll a few times to create a smooth, uniform round. Repeat with the remaining dough and fillings, covering the filled tang yuan with a damp paper towel as you finish.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. If serving cold, prepare an ice bath in a medium bowl and set nearby. Add about 6 tang yuan and immediately stir to prevent sticking. Cook until they start to float, about 3 minutes, then cook for 1 minute more. Use a slotted spoon to remove from the water and transfer to the ice bath, if applicable. Transfer to a serving bowl. Repeat with the remaining tang yuan.
• Pour the chilled brown sugar ginger syrup over the tang yuan and serve immediately.
• Enjoy!