With Lunar New Year around the corner (Feb 12 this year for those who didn’t know) I thought it’d be a great time to share a dessert my family always made to celebrate. My family has always made this specific dessert whenever there was a special holiday, or an important event taking place. While I did end up making the Cambodian version, the rice balls are made in the same manner and can be used in the other versions if you wish to serve it as such.
Tangyuan or tang yuan is a glutinous rice ball dessert commonly found in China. It’s typically eaten during specific holidays and celebrations such as Chinese New Year, Mid Autumn Festival, or during the Winter Solstice. Traditionally, you can find it served filled with black sesame inside a sweetened water soup. In Hong Kong, it is known as tong sui. While most people will know about the sweetened version, some people also make a savory version where it will be added to savory soups. Nowadays, you can find these rice balls in just about any chinese supermarket and enjoy them anyday you wish.
Although most will think of the Chinese version when they see them, they can also be found in Southeast Asian cuisines such as Cambodia. In Cambodia, they have a dessert called Banh Ja’neuk which is filled with a mung bean paste and served in a sweet coconut ginger sauce made with palm sugar. I grew up eating the Cambodian version and it has become one of my favorite kinds to eat. I will note that I was never a fan of the mung bean filled once and would always eat the plain ones. If you are interested in the mung bean filled ones, let me know in the comments below and I will update the recipe to include it!
Other desserts by other cultures that utilize these glutinous rice balls include:
- Ginataang bilo-bilò ; Filipino
- Chè trôi nước; Vietnam
- Bua loi; Thai
- Mont lone yay baw; Myanmar
- Wedang ronde; Indonesia
Glutinous Sweet Rice Ball W/ Coconut Ginger Sauce (Banh Ja'neuk)
Ingredients
Glutinous Sticky Rice Ball (Tang Yuan)
- ½ cup Glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour + more if needed
- ½ cup boiling hot water + more if needed
Coconut Ginger Sauce
- ¼ cup palm sugar
- ⅛-1/4 cup white sugar
- 3 cups coconut milk
- 1 inch piece of ginger
Garnishes
- Toasted Sesame Seeds
- Crushed Roasted Peanuts
Instructions
Glutinous Sticky Rice Ball (Tang Yuan)
- In a large bowl, combine ½ cup of glutinous rice flour with ½ cup of boiling hot water. Mix to combine until the flour is fully dissolved,
- If the dough is too wet, add 1 tablespoon of glutinous rice flour at a time until the dough forms. If the dough is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of hot water at a time. You will know the dough is ready when it becomes less wet and less sticky.
- Once the dough forms, knead the dough with your hand in the bowl or on a clean flat surface for about 3 minutes until the dough is nice and smooth.
- Once the dough is nice and smooth, roll it into a thin log about 1 cm thick. Then cut the log into 1 cm pieces , similar to the size of mini marshmallows
- In a bowl, add 2 tablespoon of glutinous rice flour, so you can place the rice balls in and prevent them from sticking to each other.
- Using the palm of your hands, roll the cut dough pieces into small spheres between both palms. (Similar to when you roll cookie dough.) Place the rice balls into the bowl with the glutinous rice flour.
- Once you rolled all the rice balls and placed them in the bowl, sprinkle more glutinous rice flour on top and swirl the rice balls around in the bowl to coat with flour. If some stick together gently unstick them and coat with flour.
- Boil a pot of water large enough to fit all the rice balls. Once the water comes to a rolling boiling, drop in the rice balls and stir to make sure they don't stick together. Cook for about 3-5 Minutes; usually when they float to the top they are done.
- Once they are cooked, strain the rice balls and place them into a bowl with cold water. Set aside until ready to eat.
Coconut Ginger Sauce
- In a pot, combine salt, palm sugar, coconut milk, and white sugar.
- Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar into the coconut milk.
- While the sauce simmers, peel and slice the ginger into quarter sized pieces and toss them into the sauce. If you are not fond of ginger, you may omit it or if you want to infuse less ginger flavors, add it in for 3-4 minutes.
- Continue to simmer the sauce for 5-10 minutes ensuring the sugar is fully dissolved. Taste and adjust for sweetness if needed,
- Serve immediately with glutinous rice balls. Garnish with toasted sesame seed and crushed roasted peanuts.
Leave a Reply