Black Sesame Tang Yuan (黑芝麻汤圆)
Enjoying Black Sesame Tang Yuan is one of the most simple pleasures. Serve it on the Winter Solstice, at the end of a banquet or as a dessert!
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 500 g / 1.1 lb glutinous rice flour
- 2 US cup water
- 100 g / 0.22 lb black sesame seeds
- 1 tsp white sesame seeds
- 100 g / 0.22 lb sugar
- 100 g / 0.22 lb lard
- 110 g / 0.24 lb brown sugar slab ((or to taste))
- 60 g / 0.13 lb rock sugar ((or to taste))
- 110 g / 0.24 lb ginger
- 5 US cup water
Instructions
- 1
Combine the glutinous rice flour with the water and mix until well combined.
- 2
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit for a minimum of 30 minutes, or in the fridge overnight.Note: If you plan on letting it rise overnight, test to see if it's too dry the next morning. If you find it too dry or hard to work with, knead in 1 tbsp water at a time until it becomes smooth and pliable.
- 3
Toast the black and white sesame seeds in a pan over low heat for 15 minutes or until each white seed has browned. Set aside to cool completely.
- 4
Use a mortar and pestle to grind the seeds until they become a fine powder. The finer the texture, the smoother the paste.
- 5
Pound in the sugar and lard until it becomes a smooth paste.Pro Tip: Use a large mortar and pestle so you can mix everything at once.
- 6
Roll the paste into balls, roughly 3cm (1") wide and put them on a plate. Cover the dish and freeze for 30 minutes or until firm to touch.
- 7
Meanwhile, lightly crush the ginger using a mortar and pestle.
- 8
Bring 5 US cup water to a boil, then add the crushed ginger, rock sugar and brown sugar slabs in. Let it simmer on low-medium for 10 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved, then turn off the heat.Note: The longer it gets boiled for, the spicier it will get from the ginger and the deeper the sweetness from the sugar.
- 9
Bring a pot of water to a boil and take the cold filling balls out of the freezer. As the water rapidly boils, pull out a dough ball roughly 2cm (0.8") thick.
- 10
Roll it into a ball and flatten it in your palms, then pull, press and mold it around the black sesame ball. Make the skin about 0.5mm (0.02") thick. Once the dough is wrapped around all the filling, give it one final roll to smooth the outside.Note: If there is any leftover dough, roll them into small 1cm (0.4") thick balls.
- 11
Gently place the rolled ball into the boiling water and repeat this with the other filling balls. Once they start to float, scoop them out with a slotted spoon and submerge in cool water.
- 12
To serve, take the Black Sesame Tang Yuan out of the water and put it in a bowl with some ginger syrup.
- 13
Enjoy hot as is!