Kitchen Recipe Collection
Glutinous Rice Balls in Sweet Soup (Tangyuan)
The essential dessert of the Lantern Festival. Soft, chewy, perfectly round dumplings made from glutinous rice flour, oozing with a hot, liquid black sesame filling, served in a sweet ginger broth.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- medium
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 4 servings
- Filling: 1/2 cup black sesame powder (or toasted and blended seeds), 1/4 cup sugar, 3 tbsp melted butter or pork lard
- Dough: 2 cups glutinous rice flour, 3/4 cup hot water (plus more if needed)
- Broth: 4 cups water, 1/4 cup rock sugar (or brown sugar), 4 slices fresh ginger
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Pot for boiling
Instructions
- 1
Make Filling
Mix the black sesame powder, sugar, and melted butter/lard until it forms a wet sand consistency.
- 2
Chill Filling
Place the filling in the fridge for 20 minutes until the fat solidifies. Then, roll the firm filling into small balls (the size of a marble). Keep them cold.
- 3
Make Dough
Pour the hot water into the glutinous rice flour. Stir with chopsticks, then knead into a smooth, pliable dough that feels like Play-Doh.
- 4
Portion Dough
Pinch off a piece of dough (slightly larger than the filling balls) and roll it into a sphere.
- 5
Flatten and Stuff
Use your thumb to press a deep indentation into the dough ball, forming a little cup. Place a cold black sesame ball inside.
- 6
Seal Tightly
Carefully push the dough up and around the filling to seal it completely. Roll it between your palms until perfectly smooth. Any cracks will cause it to leak during boiling.
- 7
Make Broth
In a pot, bring the 4 cups of water, rock sugar, and ginger slices to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- 8
Boil Water for Tangyuan
In a SEPARATE pot, bring plenty of plain water to a rolling boil.
- 9
Cook Dumplings
Drop the stuffed Tangyuan into the boiling water. Stir gently so they don't stick to the bottom.
- 10
Wait for the Float
Cook for 5-7 minutes. When they float to the top and become slightly larger and puffy, they are done.
- 11
Transfer
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked Tangyuan into serving bowls.
- 12
Serve
Ladle the hot ginger rock sugar broth over the dumplings. Bite carefully, as the filling is molten.
Cooking Tips
- The filling must be cold and hard when you wrap it. If it is warm and oily, it will prevent the dough from sealing shut.
- Always boil the dumplings in plain water, not the sweet broth. Boiling them in the broth will make the broth cloudy and thick with starch.
Variations
- Peanut Tangyuan: Use crushed roasted peanuts instead of black sesame for the filling.
Nutrition Estimate
350 calories · 4g protein · 55g carbs · 12g fat · 2g fiber per serving
