Tangyuan: Black Sesame Rice Dumplings in Ginger Syrup
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking.
Chewy rice flour dumplings with a molten black sesame centre, simmered in a warming ginger syrup.
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Method
- 1
Make the ginger soup. Simmer the ginger, sugar and water in the large saucepan for 25-30 min, until the liquid tastes warm and peppery. Cover and set aside off the heat.
- 2
Toast and grind the sesame. Toast the black sesame in the dry pan over low heat for 3-4 min until fragrant and beginning to pop. Cool, then grind to a fine, slightly oily powder.
- 3
Make the filling. Mash the ground sesame with the sugar and soft butter into a thick paste. Roll into 24 balls of about 1 tsp each, set on the lined tray and freeze for 20 min until firm. Frozen filling is far easier to wrap.
- 4
Make the dough. Put the rice flour in the bowl, pour in the boiled water and the oil and stir with the spatula until shaggy. When cool enough to touch, knead for 3-5 min until smooth and as soft as an earlobe, adding a few drops of water if it cracks.
- 5
Wrap the dumplings. Divide the dough into 24 pieces. Flatten one into a 6 cm round, leaving the middle slightly thicker, place a frozen filling ball in the centre, bring the edges up and pinch them shut, then roll it smooth. Keep the dough and finished dumplings covered so they do not dry out.
- 6
Simmer. Bring the soup back to a gentle simmer and slip in the dumplings one at a time. Simmer for 8-10 min until they float, look slightly translucent and the filling is piping hot.
- 7
Serve. Ladle 4 dumplings into each bowl with plenty of the ginger syrup, leaving the ginger slices in the pan.
Storage
Uncooked dumplings can be frozen on a tray, then bagged, for up to 2 months. Cooked tangyuan are best eaten at once; the soup keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Equipment
- large saucepan
- dry frying pan
- spice grinder or mortar and pestle
- small bowl
- small tray lined with baking paper
- mixing bowl
- spatula
- slotted spoon
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 344 kcal |
| Protein | 3.9 g |
| Carbohydrate | 49.3 g |
| of which sugars | 22.9 g |
| of which free sugars | 22.8 g |
| Fat | 15.3 g |
| of which saturates | 5 g |
| Fibre | 2.1 g |
| Salt | 0.02 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.1 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
