Black Sesame Tang Yuan
Chewy mochi-like rice balls (tang yuan) filled with a sweet black sesame lava-like center. This dessert, with its round appearance, symbolizes the spirit of family reunion and completeness. During my childhood, frozen foods like steamed buns, dumplings, and tang yuan were staples in my family’s freezer. Tang yuan are enjoyed casually in my family but also, during special celebrations. We typically have them during tea ceremonies for weddings, wakes, and during the Lantern Festival. These rice balls are chewy, sweet, and easily boiled in minutes, making them perfect for quick snacks for any occasion.
What are tang yuan?
Tang yuan (汤圆) are glutinous rice balls made of glutinous rice flour dough. Glutinous rice is also the main ingredient in mochi, which gives them very similar characteristics. However, they are distinct desserts with different cultural origins. Mochi is a Japanese dessert while tang yuan are Chinese.
The literal translation for its Chinese characters means soup round. They are typically boiled and enjoyed in either sweet or savory soup. Tang yuan come in many varieties. They may be plain without a filling, or filled with a sweet or savory filling. Sometimes, they also come colored in a hot pink dye. The most popular varieties of sweet fillings include black sesame, peanut, and red bean. My Southeast Asian grandmother-in-law makes a homemade mung bean paste.
Unlike brown sugar rice cake (Nian Gao), tang yuan is available year-round at Chinese grocery stores making them easy to enjoy anytime. My family serves them during tea ceremonies for weddings and Lunar New Year, especially during the Lantern Festival, which marks the 15th and final day of Chinese New Year celebrations. This sweet soup symbolizes a “sweet beginning” to us.
What is black sesame?
Black sesame is a type of seed that comes from a flowering plant called Sesamum indicum. These seeds are small, flat, and have a very dark gray or black color. They’re often used in cooking and baking, especially in Asian cuisines like Japanese, Chinese, and Korean. Black sesame seeds have a slightly different taste compared to white sesame seeds. They’re nuttier and have a richer flavor, kind of like roasted nuts.
Why This Recipe Works
Store-bought tang yuan, available at a few dollars per package of 10, are delicious but differ significantly from homemade ones. Store-bought varieties contain more preservatives for shelf stability but also, have a denser texture due to a thicker outer shell and less filling. By making them at home, you can control the filling-to-dough ratio to your liking. The texture is also naturally more soft since the ingredients are so fresh. The best part about making them at home is that the filling oozes when cooked. The glutinous rice ball just pops in your mouth! If you enjoy this recipe, you may also like my Nian Gao (Brown Sugar Rice Cake), Turnip Cake (Luobo Gao), and Classic Sesame Balls recipes.
How do you make tang yuan?
- Prepare the Filling: Prepare your store-bought or homemade filling. Roll the mixture into small balls and freeze them for about an hour. When working with black sesame filling, it’s especially important to shape it into a smooth ball because of its lava-like consistency. Any jagged edges or uneven surfaces may cause the filling to flow out during cooking, affecting the integrity of the tang yuan. Smoothly shaped filling ensures that it stays contained within the dough, preventing leaks and maintaining the desired texture of the tang yuan.
- Make the Dough: Warm up water and mix it with glutinous rice flour until it forms a smooth dough. Take some of the dough and cook it in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Then, knead it back into the main dough.
- Assemble the Tang Yuan: Divide the dough into small pieces. Flatten each piece and place a frozen filling ball in the center. Seal the dough around the filling and roll it into a ball.
- Boil the Tang Yuan: Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the tang yuan. Cook them for about 4-6 minutes until they float to the surface.
- Serve: You can serve tang yuan in sweetened hot water, hot water with fermented glutinous rice, or a hot ginger and brown sugar soup.
Special Ingredients
What types of filling can you use in tang yuan?
The most popular varieties of sweet fillings include black sesame, peanut, and red bean. My Southeast Asian grandmother-in-law prepares a homemade savory mung bean paste filling, which she then stuffs in a glutinous rice ball and serves in a sweet soup with coconut milk.
When choosing a filling for tang yuan, it’s important to pick one with a firm texture that can be shaped into a ball easily. Fillings that are too sticky or runny might make it tricky to shape and could lead to uneven thicknesses when wrapping them with dough. When working with black sesame filling, it’s especially important to shape it into a smooth ball because of its lava-like consistency. Any jagged edges or uneven surfaces may cause the filling to flow out during cooking, affecting the integrity of the tang yuan. Smoothly shaped filling ensures that it stays contained within the dough, preventing leaks and maintaining the desired texture of the tang yuan. You can find premade red bean paste at Chinese grocery stores or buy the ingredients to make your own from scratch. The premade fillings are usually available in the dry pantry aisle or the refrigerated section of supermarkets. I’ve seen them in both places at different stores.
What is glutinous rice flour?
Glutinous rice flour is a type of flour made from a specific variety of rice known as glutinous or sticky rice. Unlike regular rice flour, it contains a higher amount of starch, which gives it its characteristic stickiness when cooked. This flour is commonly used in various Asian cuisines to make dishes like dumplings, noodles, and desserts. Its sticky nature helps provide a chewy texture to the final product.
One common question I receive is whether alternative flours can be used for this recipe. Unfortunately, the answer is no. It’s crucial to avoid using all-purpose flour or regular rice flour as substitutes because they have distinct characteristics. The specific brand of glutinous rice flour I use is called Erawan Glutinous Rice Flour, which is a Thai variety. It is approximately $2.59 for a 1 lb bag in my region. I advise against using different brands of glutinous rice flour because the water measurements may vary. To ensure consistent results, it’s best to stick with the recommended brand as specified in the recipe. It’s important to note that the actual weight of the glutinous rice flour in an Erawan bag may fluctuate by as much as 100 grams so be sure to measure your ingredients out with a kitchen scale for best results.
What is black sesame powder?
Black sesame powder is created by grinding hulled and toasted black sesame seeds into a fine powder. I’ve tried making my own roasted black sesame powder by toasting it in the oven, grinding it down into a fine powder in my food processor, and straining it in a sieve. This epically failed for me! Roasting sesame seeds at home in a conventional oven can result in uneven toasting and is prone to burning. Additionally, if the seeds are not fully toasted and are ground, they may impart a soapy taste. They will also have a gritty texture, as it’s challenging to remove the shells completely through straining in a sieve alone. It’s much simpler to purchase pre-made black sesame powder. You can find it at your local Chinese grocery store for around $7.00 per bag.
What is lard?
Lard is a type of fat obtained from pigs made by rendering the fat from pork. I use Leidy’s Pork Lard, a traditional ingredient that is used in cooking and baking. Lard is most commonly used in flaky pie crusts, cornbread, and biscuits. When I am not using lard, I keep it stowed in my freezer where it lasts for a long time. I keep the lard at room temperature an hour or two before use to allow it to soften, making it easier for mixing. Lard plays a core role in this recipe as it infuses the filling with a lava-like ooze creating a melt-in-your-mouth sensation. The only con about using lard is that it does have a slightly porky-flavor. If this bothers you, you do have the option of using shortening which has no flavor but is also 100% fat. Another alternative is coconut oil, however, it will have a detectable coconut flavor.
Black Sesame Rice Balls
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Disposable Gloves
- Microwave-Safe Bowl
- Spatula
- 3 qt Sauce Pan
- Plate
- Small Serving Bowls
Ingredients
- 40 g roasted black sesame powder
- 70 g sugar
- 70 g pork lard
- 125 g glutinous rice flour plus 15 g
- 100 g water
Instructions
Filling
- Combine the black sesame, sugar, and lard. Mix with disposable gloves.
- Divide into 10 gram pieces and roll into balls. Freeze for a minimum of 1 hour or until solidified.
Dough
- Warm up the water in a microwave. Pour 80 grams of the hot water into a bowl containing 125 grams of glutinous rice flour. Use a spatula to mix until clumpy, then knead with your bare hands. If the mixture is too dry, add water gradually until the dough forms a smooth ball that is hydrated.
- Bring water to a boil. Take exactly 10% of the dough out and flatten it between your palms. Boil until fully cooked, 5 mins.
- Incorporate the cooked dough back into the main dough ball and knead until combined. It will feel very sticky at first, so you'll be sure to lose some to your hands. If it feels too sticky after kneading for a few minutes, gradually knead in 5 grams of extra glutinous rice flour at a time.
Assemble
- Divide the dough ball into pieces, each weighing no less than 20 g. The thicker the rice ball, the less chance of popping while cooking.
- Dust your fingers with flour. Take one ball, roll it into a sphere, then flatten it with your fingers, ensuring the center remains thicker than the edges. Place a piece of filling in the middle and seal. Dust lightly with flour and roll until it forms a sphere. Repeat.
- Bring water to a boil. Add the rice balls and stir continuously to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Boil for 4-6 mins. Serve hot in bowls of sweetened hot water.If you've tried this recipe, please click to add a rating and leave a comment below! And if you enjoyed it, don't forget to give it a five star rating and share it with your friends! You can help my channel by tagging @vocabularyoffood in your cooks. ۶(◠ 。◠)۶
Notes
– When mixing the filling, use a glove. Your body heat helps to melt the fat and bring the filling together smoothly. Be sure to use gloves that fit. You’ll lose some filling to gloves that are too large!
– Black sesame powder is very hard to make at home due to the hull on seeds and the risk of uneven toasting in the oven. Buy it.
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