Chinese
Sweet Rice Balls
Tangyuan with chewy glutinous rice wrappers, nutty black sesame filling, and warming ginger syrup.
6 servings · 50 minutes prep · 10 minutes cook
Ingredients
Main
- 2 cups glutinous rice flour
- 3/4 cup water, warm, plus more if needed
- 1/2 cup black sesame seeds, toasted
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tbsp lard, softened
- 6 cups water, for syrup
- 2 pieces, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp rock sugar
Directions
Method
- Pulse the black sesame seeds and sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Mix with the lard until paste-like, then chill for 30 minutes and divide into 24 small portions.
- In a mixing bowl, knead the glutinous rice flour with warm water until the dough is smooth, soft, and workable. Add a spoonful more water only if the dough cracks.
- Divide the dough into 24 pieces. Flatten each piece, enclose one sesame filling portion, pinch closed, and roll gently into a smooth ball.
- Simmer the remaining 6 cups water with 2 pieces of ginger and the rock sugar until lightly sweet, about 10 minutes.
- Lower the rice balls into the simmering syrup and stir gently so they do not stick. Cook until they float, then simmer for 2 minutes more so the wrappers turn tender and the sesame filling softens.
- Serve the rice balls hot in bowls with enough ginger syrup to cover them.
