Tang Yuan (Chinese Glutinous Rice Balls)

Method

1. Make the dough: put the glutinous rice flour in a bowl. Pour in the boiling water and stir with chopsticks or a spoon until it forms rough clumps; this partly cooks the flour and keeps the dough from crumbling. Add the room-temperature water a little at a time, kneading by hand, until you have a smooth, soft dough like an earlobe, not sticky, not stiff. Cover and set aside.
2. Make the filling: toast the black sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Let cool slightly, then grind in a spice grinder or mortar with the sugar to a coarse paste. Work in the softened butter until you have a uniform, dark paste. Chill for about 30 minutes, until firm enough to roll.
3. Roll the chilled filling into 10 to 12 small balls, about the size of a hazelnut. Keep them cold until you are ready to wrap.
4. Divide the dough into about 20 pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball, then flatten one into a small disc in your palm. For a filled ball, place a piece of filling in the centre, gather the edges up and over the filling, and pinch to seal completely, then roll gently between your palms to smooth it back into a ball. For a plain ball, simply roll the dough piece round. Keep the finished balls covered with a damp cloth so they do not dry out.
5. Make the syrup: combine the water, ginger, and rock sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, until the ginger has released its flavour and the sugar has dissolved. Taste and adjust the sweetness.
6. Bring a separate large pot of water to a boil. Slide in the rice balls and stir gently for the first 30 seconds so they do not stick to the bottom. Boil the plain balls for about 3 minutes and the filled ones for about 4 to 5 minutes: they will sink at first, then rise and float once cooked through. Once a ball is floating, let it simmer a further minute; filled balls benefit from this extra minute so the filling melts fully.
7. Lift the rice balls out with a slotted spoon straight into serving bowls. Ladle the hot ginger syrup over them and serve at once, while the dough is still soft and warm.

Notes

• The dough should feel like a soft earlobe: too dry and it cracks while shaping, too wet and it will not hold a filling. Add the second measure of water gradually and stop as soon as it comes together.
• To freeze raw balls for later, arrange them without touching on a tray, freeze until solid, then bag them. Boil straight from frozen, allowing an extra minute or two.
• Tang yuan turn firm quickly once they cool, so cook them just before serving rather than ahead of time.
• Rock sugar gives the syrup a cleaner sweetness than white sugar, but either works.

Sources Consulted

• Red House Spice, “Tang Yuan, Chinese glutinous rice balls (汤圆)”
• Taste of Asian Food, “Tang Yuan 汤圆, How to Make Traditional Glutinous Rice Balls”