Description
Soft glutinous rice balls filled with a molten core of black sesame paste mixed with lard and sugar. Boiled and served in hot water. A traditional lucky dessert.
Restaurants serving Tang Yuan (Glutinous Rice Balls)
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The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Glutinous rice flour
- Black sesame paste
- Sugar
- Lard(or Butter)
- Water
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- Grind roasted black sesame into a paste. Vigorously knead in massive sugar and melted 'Lard' (pork fat). Chill to harden, then form into tiny balls. (*Lard melts when boiled, creating the molten liquid core).
- Knead glutinous rice flour with warm water into a soft dough.
- Wrap the sesame balls in the dough, rolling them into perfect, seamless spheres.
- Boil in water until they puff up and float.
- Serve hot in their boiling liquid (sometimes flavored with Osmanthus or sweet wine).
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Intense black sesame nuttiness and lard depth
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
(Frozen ones from Chinese grocers are perfect)
Pairing
Chinese Tea(Jasmine etc.)
Trivia
[Trivia] Absolutely mandatory on the Lantern Festival or Winter Solstice as a lucky food symbolizing 'family unity' (perfectly round). A permanent fixture in Chinese grocer freezers.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Biting into it piping hot causes the black sesame filling to ooze out like molten lava. Be careful of burns while slurping it up with the chewy skin.
Allergen
Sesame, Pork (when using lard)