Sweet Rice Balls (Yuanxiao)
Cooking time: 1 h 30 minutes
Difficulty: Medium recipe
Recipe yield: 18-20 pcs
Chinese Food Recipes
Glutinous sweet rice balls (Yuanxiao or Tangyuan) – a Chinese cuisine recipe, balls are prepared on the day of the Lantern Festival, which completes the celebration of the Chinese New Year. In China, it is believed that the round shape of Yuanxiao and the special bowls in which they are usually served symbolize family unity. Eating sweet rice balls, they will bring family happiness and good luck in the New Year. By this very belief, these rice balls are also served at Chinese weddings and any other family reunion event.
Glutinous sweet rice balls ingredients
- For dough
- Rice flour 250 g
- Water 200 ml
- For filling
- Black sesame 100 g
- Butter 100 g
- Powdered sugar 250 g
- Rice wine 1 tsp
- For broth
- Tangerine 3-4 pcs
- Cinnamon 2 pcs
- Star anise 3 pcs
- Cardamom 3 pcs
- Rice wine 100 ml
- Water 1,2 ml
- Ginger 2 cm
- Honey 1 cup
Glutinous sweet rice balls recipe
To cook glutinous sweet rice balls recipe, put the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan and heat them up. After, slightly fried sesame grind in a coffee grinder.
In a bowl, mix softened butter with ground sesame, powdered sugar and rice wine and refrigerate.
Roll small balls about the size of a walnut from sesame mixture. Cover the prepared stuffing with cling film and place again in the refrigerator. If the balls do not roll well, hold the filling for some time in the refrigerator.
While the filling hardens, you can cook the dough for yuanxiao. Pour rice flour into a bowl and add a small amount of water at a time, knead the dough until it acquires a texture similar to modeling clay, not too soft, but smooth and easy to handle. The recipe gives an approximate ratio of flour and water. Add flour or water if necessary.
Divide the dough into pieces by the amount equal to the filling. Roll a ball from a piece of dough, put it on your palm and use your finger to make a dent in the center for the filling.
Put the filling in the center of the dough and gradually, scrolling the yuanxiao in the palm of your hand, raise the sides of the dough, thus covering the sesame filling.
На этой стадии, подготовленные юаньсяо можно обсыпать рисовой мукой и заморозить для хранения.
You can cook rice balls just in water, but you can also cook in a sweet broth. For broth, tangerines peel and film, finely chop the ginger or grate. Remove the seeds from the cardamom boxes. Put all the ingredients in water and put on medium heat. Bring the broth to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes.
Increase the heat so that the broth boils, lay out the rice balls. During cooking, mix a couple of times, but carefully. At one time it’s better to cook 5-6 balls, not more.
When yuanxiao float to the surface of the broth it means they are ready. It takes approximately 3-4 minutes. Put the balls in a round deep bowl, pour the strained broth and serve.
