Tang Yuan or “Tong Yuen” in Cantonese which is a glutinous rice ball served plain or filled with sesame or peanuts. It is then served with a ginger syrup, it is absolutely delicious. This is typically served on the last day of the festival (Lantern Festival) as it looks smooth and round like the moon to symbolize harmony and reunion. This was one of my favourite desserts to eat growing up, I hope you enjoy it as well!
Sesame Tang Yuan (Sweetened Glutinous Rice Balls)
A classic Chinese dessert with glutinous rice balls wrapped in sesame balls served with a ginger syrup. So delicious.
Ingredients
Tang Yuan
- 60 g Black Sesame Seeds
- 5 tbsp Coconut Sugar
- 25 g melted butter
- 135 g Glutinous Rice Flour 1 cup
- 84 g Hot Water 3/4 cup
Ginger Syrup
- 2 cups water
- 1" ginger sliced
- 40 g rock sugar
Instructions
Sesame Ball
- Using a small pan, roast the sesame seeds until fragrant for about 5-7 minutes on low heat. Stir it constantly so that it does not burn! Remove from heat.
- Using a food processor/ blender blend the sesame seeds, coconut sugar, and butter together until combined. Put into the fridge for about 15 minutes so that it's easier to work with. Once cooled, remove from fridge and roll into balls about 1.5 cm long (7g). It will make about 18-20 pieces.
Tang Yuan
- In a separate bowl, mix together the glutinous rice flour with the hot water. Mix and knead until it turns into a dough. If it's too "wet" add in 5g of glutinous rice flour at a time until it's not longer sticky. If it's too "dry" add in 5g of hot water until it's smooth. Roll onto a dusted surface into a long log and cut into pieces. Roll each piece out (10g), flatten the piece out, and insert the sesame ball inside. Carefully pinch the glutinous rice sides and roll together into a ball. Freeze until ready to cook.
Ginger Syrup
- In a small pot, heat up 2 cups of water with the ginger and rock sugar. Simmer until the rock sugar completely dissolves ~10 minutes.
Cooking the Tang Yuan
- In a separate small pot, heat up 5-6 cups of water. Once boiled carefully insert your tang yuan inside and cook for 5-7 minutes until they float. Remove with a slotted spoon and serve with your ginger syrup. Enjoy!
Notes
You can freeze the Tang Yuan up to 6 months in your freezer.
Let me know how you enjoy this recipe in the comments below! Stay tuned for more recipes!
xx, CWC
