Sweet Glutinous Rice Balls
Sweet glutinous rice balls, (“tang yuan” in Mandarin or “tong yun” in Cantonese) are one of my favourites! I was so excited when I successfully prepared the glutinous rice balls myself for the very first time, several years ago. Here is the secret recipe of mine. Enjoy savouring the “tang yuan”!
Ingredients:
2 cup glutinous rice flour
~ 200 ml water
~ 1/3 cup finely ground peanuts
9 drops red food colouring
3 drops blue food colouring
Directions:
1. To make red glutinous rice balls, add 6 drops of red food colouring into 100 ml water. Mix water with 1 cup glutinous rice flour gradually, until a pliable dough is formed.
2. Knead the dough slightly. Roll the dough into small balls. Insert ~ 1/2 tsp ground peanuts into each ball.
3. Repeat the above steps for making purple glutinous rice balls, but using 3 drops of red food colouring and 3 drops of blue food colouring instead.
4. Prepare a pot of boiling water. Pour in the glutinous rice balls gently. Keep water boiling at medium heat, until glutinous rice balls float on the water surface and cooked (about 15 minutes).
5. Drain water off the pot. Serve the glutinous rice balls in sweet broth (e.g. barley soup or regular sweetened water).
Now, you may ask: “why choose red and purple?” Of course, there is a special message behind it. There is a Chinese proverb “大红大紫 (da hong da zi)” which implies great achievements or fame, in which “红” means red and “紫” means purple. Another Chinese proverb, “万紫千红 (wan zi qian hong)” indicates a new phenomenon or a colourful sight (arrival of spring). Supposedly, Chinese New Year takes place in the spring, and also known as “Spring Festival.” Hmm…even the colours make great interpretations. Amazing, eh?
Tags: Cooking
