Pumpkin Black Sesame Sweet Rice Balls (Tang Yuan 汤圆)
Recipe Published: Oct 29, 2022
Written by: Jasma
INGREDIENTS
Filling:
75 g roasted black sesame seeds
15 g toasted walnuts
2 tbsp shredded coconutPinch of salt
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp coconut oil
Dough:
140 g kabocha puree or any pumpkin/squash puree
90 g glutinous rice flour
Peach Resin & Goji Berry Soup:
25 g peach resin
handful of goji berries
brown sugar
TIPS & RECIPE NOTES
Freeze leftover tang yuan
Tang Yuan is not recommended to be eaten in large portions as glutinous rice is very filling. Be sure to freeze any uncooked assembled tang yuan to ensure they do not crack and to prolong their shelf life for up to a month in the freezer. Simply boil straight away when you feel like having a boil of warm tang yuan!
Adjust the dough ratios accordingly
Since different kinds of squash and pumpkin contain different levels of moisture, the amount of glutinous rice flour needed to form a cohesive dough that isn’t too soft nor too dry may vary. The recipe provided has been developed using kabocha squash which is fairly low in moisture. Therefore, using other variations of squash such as butternut or pre-made pumpkin puree may require slightly more flour to balance the consistency. Start with small quantities when adjusting the recipe!
Here's the video tutorial! For more go check out my Youtube channel!
LET’S BEGIN!
Filling
1. In a blender or food processor, blend the roasted black sesame seeds, toasted walnuts, and shredded coconut until powder forms and some oils have been released.
2. Transfer the blended mixture into a bowl and combine it with the salt, honey, and coconut oil. If the filling is too crumbly to hold its shape, add a tiny bit of water to help bind everything together.
3. Portion the filling to 5 g each and roll it into a smooth ball. Keep in the freezer until firm.
Dough
4. Seed, peel, and largely dice a piece of kabocha squash.
5. Boil the squash until fork tender.
6. Mash using a fork until pureed immediately after the squash cooks. (skip steps 4,5 & 6 if you are using pre-made pumpkin puree)
7. Combine the kabocha puree with the glutinous rice flour until a cohesive dough forms. You may need to add a little more glutinous rice flour or water if the dough is too dry or too sticky since the moisture levels in the puree may vary.
8. Portion the dough in 22 pieces (10g each). Keep the dough covered when not using it to prevent it from drying out and cracking.
Assembly
9. Wrap the chilled black sesame filling in the dough and seal tightly. Roll until smooth.
10. Cook the assembled tang yuan in boiling water until the water comes to a rolling boil. Pour in some cold water to lower the temperature of the pot to cook the rice balls more gently and prevent tearing.
11. Allow the water to come back to a rolling boil and once all the tang yuan are floating, they are cooked.
12. Optionally, boil some soaked peach resin and goji berries to serve with the tang yuan. Enjoy!