汤圆 Tangyuan

汤圆 tangyuan is a delicacy made of glutinous rice flour, served during 冬至winter solstice.  Tangyuans are rounds, plain or stuffed, often brightly coloured, and are served in sweet or savory soup.

Tangyuans can be stuffed with crunched peanut-sugar, sesame paste, gula melaka, or anything sweet.  The soup can be as simple as sweetened-ginger to pandan-flavoured, or a complicated savory soup...  I normally had my tongyuans in sweet soup, never in my life having them in savory soup.  I also like it coated with crunched sweetened peanut.

Making tangyuan is very simple : mix glutinous flour with water to make a dough, not too damp and not too dry.  Too damp it will ‘melt’, too dry it will ‘crack’...

Then, shape it into spheres of about 7cm Æ  ( bite size )... The tangyuans shouldn’t be too big, as it will be difficult to chew and swallow.  This process is undoubtedly the highlight of tangyuan-making.  Friends and family members gather together ( reunion ), making tangyuans of variable sizes and colours...

Finally, put the tangyuans into boiling water.  The tangyuans will float when cooked...

Scoop them out, and buon appetito!

a mess !

another disaster...

wa lau ye !

shape up !

fun process...

indeed food for fun !

ta da !!!

Mike is testing...

Ani is doubtful...