Tang Yuan 湯 圓

I made these over the weekend. Love doing these leisurely.
After they are done put the whole tray into the freezer and let freeze for an hour or so.
Once frozen, pack them in plastic containers. They can be kept for a month or so.
To cook, just pop into boiling soup and wait for them to float to the surface, don't have to defrost .

Dough:
300g glutenious rice flour
1 tablespoon undiluted pandan extract (I used fresh screwpine leaves)
a dash red food coloring
water

Mix the rice flour with water until it forms a soft pliable slightly sticky dough (easier to mould around filling when dough is slightly wet. If too dry, it tends to crack ).
Knead for 5 minutes to get a chewier texture.
Divide into 3 portions.
Add a tiny drop of red food coloring in one, pandan extract in the other and mix well.
Leave for about 30 minutes.

Filling:

200g roasted peanuts

50 g toasted sesame seeds (black and white)

icing sugar to taste

Put peanuts, sesame seeds and sugar in a blender and blizt until almost the texture of peanut butter (more like crunchy peanut butter).

Test and see if the filling can be moulded to a small ball the size of a chickpea.

If it crumbles add some butter to bind.

I like to leave some sesame seeds whole for a slight gritty texture.

Mould into small balls.

To assemble:

Take a small ball of rice dough (about the same size as the filling).

Flatten it and place the small ball of peanut butter in the center.

Wrap dough round the filling and roll into a round ball (as round as possible please.

The rounder the tang yuan the more unity and harmony in the family :D)

Soup:

2L water

red dates

dried longan meat

2-3 slices ginger

rock sugar to taste

Boil water with red dates and ginger, simmer for about half an hour until fragrant.
Add rock sugar to taste.
When ready to have the dessert, put fire to high, add the tang yuan.
When tang yuan rise to the top of boiling water add longan meat, cook for another minute and off the fire.
Dish out and enjoy with family.

Note: Tang yuan can be filled with tau sau (red bean paste), sesame seed paste or no filling at all. Soup can also be savoury with chicken stock.

Jo