With the winter solstice around the corner, we’re bringing out our tang yuan again, but with a little more flair from our sweet potato glutinous rice balls with peanut and white sesame filling!
A traditional Chinese dessert, Tang Yuan (汤圆) symbolises family reunion and togetherness. Beyond their Chinese characters, it is often a time where the different generations come together to make coloured glutinous rice balls by the table. Adults rolling the dough into balls while exchanging gossip, and children trying to form them into shapes.
Despite being a common dish, they have a multitude of variations depending on the different cultures. For example, Hakka-style tangyuan might be filled with pork and vegetables, and typically served with a savoury pork broth while Peranakans don’t even call them tangyuan but kueh ee
Shiny, from @ahmahslegacy, makes a Teochew-style tangyuan from scratch, using the natural colouring from sweet potato. She fills them with peanut and white sesame and serves them in a comforting ginger milk soup.
Each ball has a soft, QQ texture with a thickness that doesn’t feel “jelak”, so be sure to make enough to go around!
Fun fact: Tangyuans used to be made from glutinous rice flour, but to make the process easier, most are now commercially made with wheat flour!
