Tang Yuan (湯圓 or tong yuen in Cantonese) is a sweet and chewy Chinese dessert made with glutinous rice flour often served in a hot broth or syrup. Tang Yuan is traditionally eaten during the Lunar New Year as it symbolises family reunion and togetherness.
Tang Yuan can come in various fillings, such as peanut, red bean, and black sesame. Black sesame is one of my favourites, which is why we’ll be making it here today! The chewy texture and warm black sesame filling is definitely a perfect dessert to enjoy with friends and family during the cold winter season.
black sesame glutinous rice balls (黑芝麻湯丸)
2
servings1
hour5
minutesSweet and chewy glutinous rice balls with warm, nutty and fragrant black sesame filling is the perfect dessert to have during a cold season.
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Ingredients
- black sesame filling:
100g roasted black sesame seeds
30g sugar
50g butter, softened
- glutinous rice dough:
150g glutinous rice flour
70g hot water
70g warm water
5g vegetable oil
Directions
- In a pan, toast black sesame seeds on medium-low heat for around 5 minutes until fragrant. Let it cool down, then put in a grinder (you can use a coffee grinder) along with sugar and grind until fine. The sugar helps absorb some oil produced by the seeds during the grinding process.
- Place the black sesame mixture into a bowl, add soft butter and mix until it becomes a paste. Place mixture in freezer for around 20 mins so that it can slightly solidify.
- While waiting, prepare the glutinous rice dough. Add glutinous rice flour to a mixing bowl, slowly and gradually add the hot water while mixing. Then add the warm water and continue to mix. The dough should be soft but not too sticky. Mix in vegetable oil to keep the dough moist. Cover the dough with a damp towel and set aside.
- Take the black sesame filling out of the freezer and roll into 20 balls (around 9g each). Place the balls on a plate, and freeze for about an hour. Freezing the filling pieces makes it easier to handle when wrapping it.
- To make the tang yuan, roll the rice flour dough and divide them into 20 pieces (around 15kg each). Flatten the dough with your thumb, add the black sesame filling, and gently pinch and wrap the dough. Roll into a round shape.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the tang yuan balls, and gently stir to prevent it from sticking to bottom of pan. Boil until the tang yuan floats. Serve with some ginger and brown sugar syrup. Enjoy!
