World Flavors Cookbook
Tang Yuan (Glutinous Rice Balls)
Glutinous rice flour dumplings stuffed with sesame-black sugar paste, boiled in sweet ginger syrup — the ancient Lantern Festival food with a 2,000-year history.
Cuisine: Ancient World
Ingredients
- glutinous rice flour, water
- for filling: ground black sesame, sugar, lard or coconut oil
- for broth: water, ginger, rock sugar
Instructions
- Mix glutinous rice flour with water until a smooth dough forms — it should be soft and pliable. Mix sesame, sugar, and fat into a thick paste for filling. Refrigerate filling 20 minutes to firm. Shape dough into balls, press a hole, add a small ball of filling, seal closed. Roll smooth. Make syrup: simmer ginger slices with rock sugar and water. Boil rice balls in the syrup until they float. Serve in the ginger broth.