汤圆湯圓
tāng yuán tong1 jyun2
On the fifteenth night of the new year, the first full moon, families eat round rice balls in sweet soup — 圓 means round, and roundness means reunion. The Lantern Festival is also China’s old Valentine’s night.
The story behind it
The Lantern Festival (元宵节) closes the fifteen-day New Year period, and in the north the same dessert is called 元宵 and made by rolling, not wrapping. The word play of 汤圆 with 团圆 (tuányuán, reunion) is why no Lantern Festival table is without them.
Ingredients
- 200 g glutinous rice flour
- 160 ml warm water
- 100 g black sesame paste (or use ready-made filled tangyuan)
- 40 g sugar + 30 g butter or lard for the filling
- Optional: knob of ginger and rock sugar for the soup
Steps
- Mix sesame paste, sugar and butter; chill and roll into small balls.
- Knead flour with warm water into a soft dough.
- Wrap a piece of dough around each filling ball and roll smooth.
- Boil gently until they float, then one minute more.
- Serve in their cooking water (add ginger and rock sugar if you like).