NO! NO! NO! It's NEVER too late to feature that Tang Yuan post I promised.. LOL
I apologize that I really have been procrastinating and didn't blog for quite some time. This is really a late late post but I figured it will be a good find for anyone, if you decide to cook Tang Yuans anytime.
There is no specific one recipe that is better than another and if you are adventurous, there's always the option to fill it up with the fillings of your choice, like Lotus Paste, Yam, Peanut or whatever you fancy. Try Durians?
Let me share with you the Tang Yuans I did with the kids helping to roll up into multicolour balls. Our Tang Yuans are done plain (no fillings), using Glutinuous Rice Flour and whatever food colouring you have at home or from the supermart.
What is Winter Solstice
22nd December is the day of Winter Solstice, according to our Chinese Calendar, with the exception of some rare years, like in 2008 when it fell a day earlier. Winter Solstice in other words is also known as DongZhi festival. This is the day where the Chinese people and those who embrace Chinese culture celebrate it by making Tang Yuan, a sticky glutinuous ball in a sweet dessert-soup. On this day and after having eaten this sweet sticky balls, we are usually considered one year older. Nowadays, these Tang Yuan desserts are sold in many dessert stalls, shops and variations. In a nearby hawker market, Toh Yi Market, this similar dessert of Glutinuous Rice Ball with filling is also call Ah Balling.
Since young, mom usually makes them from scratch buying Glutinuous Rice Flour, kneading them with water and making these traditional dessert for prayer offerings on Winter Solstice day. And ever since I left home for studies overseas, I have never been able to enjoy Mom's homemade 'Soh Ee'. In the last two decades, I've only either skipped this festival or bought convenience frozen packs for the family. But this year somehow, I decided that I wanted to start from scratch and let my kids experience it. I also thought it is a great way to encourage a Mother-Daughter bonding session since I've been so busy with work.
I bought a pack of Glutinuous Rice Flour that weighs 500gm, the minimum weight available. You don't have to use all of it if you do not have many members at home consuming it. All you need is to decide how much of flour you want to use. If you want to use 200gm of the rice flour, divide them into 3. One third of it to mix with boiling hot water, and the other two thirds added later, alternate with water following the method below.
How do I start? Here is an example, which I did for our homemade Tang Yuans. You can follow my measurements if you like.
Recipe
150gms flour
Hot boiling water
Food grade colouring
Room temperature water/boiled cooled water
Sweet Soup:
Water
Rock Sugar
Pandan Leaves washed and knotted
Bruised Ginger about 5-8cm length
Firstly, take an amount of flour, I used 150gm of flour. Divde this amount into 3 parts. 50gm:50gm:50gm Put first 50gm flour in a bowl that you will be kneading on. Put the other two thirds(50gm:50gm) in a small clean dry bowl for later use.
In a small saucepan, boil a small amount of water, say 200-300mls of water (depending how much flour you are using. I boiled 300mls because no harm having more water.
When the water is boiling hot, pour a small amount (about 100mls) of it onto the one third flour in a kneading bowl. This is supposed to cook the flour. Make it into a paste - by stirring with a wooden spatula till it becomes smooth. Add 50gms more of flour (alternate with little bit of leftover hot water) you set aside earlier. By this time, the water in your sauce pan will probably be warm. Make sure you add to the flour a little at a time. Finally add the remaining 50gms flour and add a little water each time you find the flour too dry. You don't have to use all of the remaining water if the paste is already moist, nice and smooth (yes, you will need to knead) and doesn't stick to your hands.
WARNING - THIS IS TERRIBLY MESSY.. LOL
Did I mention that you better clip that long finger nails of yours?
When it doesn't stick to your hands, you can divide them into portions to be added with your food colourings. Use a toothpick to add the colour and kneading them till you get the right shade you want.
To roll them into consistent sized balls, roll them into a long dough first. Cut them into same thickness and roll them into balls individually.
To avoid them drying out, cover the rolled balls with a damp towel or cling wrap them (mom didn't use cling wraps last time) and you can keep them into the fridge till it's ready to be boiled. This can be prepared a day in advance.
Making the sweet soup. In a saucepan, boil water with pandan leaves, some bruised ginger (less for less spicy or more according to your taste) and sweetened with rock sugar. Some use orange sugar but I prefer rock sugar as white syrup brings out the colour of Tang Yuans better. Set aside the sweet soup, keeping it hot but not boiling.
In another large saucepan, boil water and place the rolled balls into it when it is boilling hot. The balls when is afloat shows that it is just cooked. To prevent it from cooking further, scoop the rice balls and put them on a bowl/pot filled with room temperature boiled water.
Then, transfer it to the hot sweet soup thereafter. Ready to serve and eat! Yummy and Colourful.
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