In the soup

2012-01-31 12:46 Global Times Web Editor: Xu Rui comment

Fried tangyuan

Colorful pebble-like tangyuan

Although most of us are now back at work after the Chinese New Year festivities, the Spring Festival doesn't actually end until Lantern Festival which falls on the 15th day of the first month in the lunar Chinese calendar. This year that date is February 6.

And one of the signature rituals of Lantern Festival is to eat tangyuan (which can also be called yuanxiao in northern China), a kind of soup dumpling made of glutinous rice flour and that can be enjoyed with or without fillings. The dish, a symbol of good wishes for family reunions, can also be easily made at home.

Tangyuan without any filling is known as "pearl tangyuan." Into the basic soup is added sugar, longan, sweet osmanthus, and sweet potatoes or diced lotus roots. Stuffed tangyuan is far more popular, however, and can contain a large variety of fillings. In the north of China the fillings are normally sweet, while in southern China they can be salty or sweet.

Do it yourself

First of all, glutinous rice flour and warm water are kneaded into flour dough. If you use 500 grams of glutinous rice flour, 400 grams of water is enough to match.

To make sesame tangyuan, for example, you need black sesame seeds, sugar, kernels and lard. Mix and smash the sesames seeds, sugar and kernels together, and then add some lard into the mixture.

Next, cut up the flour dough into small pieces, and squash each piece flat. Then put some of the filling into each piece of flour and wrap the dough around the filling inside it. You then knead the dough into a smooth ball.

Finally, boil some water and dip the balls into the hot water. When the balls are able to float on the surface, they are ready to be served at table.

Apart from sesame seeds, there are many other fillings. Sweet fillings such as red bean paste, jujube paste and peanut paste are very popular. Salty fillings include meat paste, into which diced vegetables can also be added.

Colorful balls

And although they taste delicious, many people, especially children, find that tangyuan, with its plain white color, has an unappetizing appearance. The Global Times has uncovered some tips to making tangyuan that is both nutritious and appetizing.

One way is to add some colorful vegetables to the dough. For instance, carrots to make it orange, spinach to make it green, pumpkins to make it yellow, or sweet potato to make it purple. First dice the carrot and add some water and then juice through a blender. Then steam the juice for about 20 minutes and mix it into the flour dough. After kneading for some time, the dough will turn orange in color. The same trick can be achieved with the other ingredients mentioned.

And if you want to create a multi-colored look, three separately made flour/vegetable mixes can be combined after cooking, and before any filling is added. The finished effect is that of a speckled, colorful pebble.

On the boil

The most traditional way of making tangyuan is to boil it in soup. However, there are alternative cooking methods.

One is to steam the stuffed flour dough, by putting the wrapped dough balls into a food steamer, which contains boiled water only in its lower layer. For sweet fillings, like sesame or peanuts, 5 minutes is usually enough for steaming.

For meat fillings, more time is needed to ensure the meat is fully cooked. As an added decoration, you can also place a red Chinese wolfberry on the top of each tangyuan as desired.

Another way to enjoy tangyuan is to fry them. First dice black sesame seeds and peanut kernels in a blender, and then add red beans, oil and sugar into the flour. Finally mix all the ingredients together to make the dough balls by means of rolling them in the flour for several times. This is the most commonly used method of making yuanxiao in northern China.

The next step is to prick small holes in the tangyuan in order to avoid the boiling oil inside from overheating and exploding during the frying process. The final step is to immerse them into boiling oil. When small bubbles start to appear, this indicates the fried tangyuan are completed.

Dumpling days

For people who have no time for making tangyuan at home, the Global Times has sought out some popular eateries around the city who will do the honors for you.

Qibao Old Street Tangyuan Eatery (七寶老街湯圓店)

Fillings on offer: meat, sesame seeds, jujube paste, peanut, red beans

Average price: 2.5 yuan per piece

Add: 14 and 26 Nandajie Street, Qibao town, Minhang district

閔行區七寶鎮南大街14號, 26號

Tel: 6459-2917

Sixin Shiyuan (四新食苑)

Fillings on offer: meat, sesame seeds

Average price: 2.5 yuan per piece

Add: 1908 Sichuan Road North

四川北路1908號

Tel: 5666-1977