Black sesame tangyuan
- Prepare
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Makes 40 rice balls
These soft, chewy rice dumplings filled with a black sesame paste are a traditional Lunar New Year treat and symbolise family togetherness and good fortune.
For this recipe you will need a food processor or blender.
Ingredients
For the black sesame filling
- 30g/1oz unsalted peanuts, skins removed
- 140g/5oz black sesame seeds, roasted
- 50g/1¾oz brown sugar
- 75g/2¾oz butter, at room temperature
- 40g/1½oz runny honey
For the dough
- 340g/12oz glutinous rice flour
- 45g/1¾oz cornflour
- 320ml/11fl oz lukewarm water
For the ginger syrup
- 50g/1¾oz brown sugar
- 15g/½oz fresh root ginger, sliced
- 1 pandan leaf, knotted (optional)
Method
To make the black sesame filling, toast the peanuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until fragrant and lightly golden. Blend the peanuts, sesame seeds, sugar, butter and honey in a food processor or blender until smooth. Chill in a freezer-proof container in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up.
Meanwhile, to make the dough, place the rice flour and cornflour in a large bowl. Slowly add the water, mixing to combine until a smooth dough forms. (If the dough is dry, add a little extra water a bit at a time until it firms up, see Recipe Tip).
Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rest for 20 minutes.
Remove the black sesame mixture from the freezer and roll into small balls of about 8g/¼oz each. Return to the freezer.
Divide the dough into 17g/½oz pieces and roll into balls – this recipe should make around 40 balls. Press your thumb into the centre of a ball and place a black sesame ball in the centre. Wrap the dough around it, pinch to seal and roll gently into round balls. Make sure to keep the dough and the balls covered with a damp tea towel while rolling. Repeat until all the dough and black sesame mixture is used.
To make the ginger syrup, boil 500ml/18fl oz water in a small saucepan with the sugar, ginger and pandan leaf, if using. Simmer for 10 minutes over a medium–low heat.
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add 10 tangyuan and stir gently. When they float to the surface, add a small cup of cold water, then bring back to the boil. Repeat once or twice for about 5–7 minutes, or until the tangyuan are translucent.
Repeat in batches, until the tangyuan are all cooked.
Place the cooked tangyuan in bowls and pour ginger syrup over them while hot. Serve 5–6 rice balls per person and freeze any remaining balls.
Recipe tips
This recipe makes about 40 tangyuan. Serve 5 rice balls per person and freeze any extras – it will last for up to 3 months and cook straight from the freezer, avoid defrosting as this will change the texture of the balls.
Please note that different brands of glutinous rice flour can behave differently, so if your dough feels a bit dry, simply add a little more water until it reaches the right consistency.
