How to Make Sweet Dumplings

BY JINGYAN XU

5th Grade student at Endeavour Elementary

What are Sweet Dumplings?

Have you ever eaten sweet dumplings? Or have you seen them in supermarkets? Here I will share some fun facts about sweet dumplings with you!

First, sweet dumplings are a traditional Chinese food. There are two types of sweet dumplings: rice glue balls (Yuan Xiao) and glutinous rice balls (Tang Yuan). Rice glue balls and glutinous rice balls do indeed look the same, have some ingredients that are the same, and get cooked similarly, but that is about it.

There are many differences between rice glue balls and glutinous rice balls. Such as the fact that the rice glue balls are eaten in Northern China, whereas glutinous rice balls are eaten in Southern China. The stuffing in rice glue balls is made from sweet ingredients, such as sesame, red bean paste, rose, and hawthorn. While the stuffing in glutinous rice balls can be sweet, savory, vegan, or meat. Other than that, rice glue balls and glutinous rice balls are wrapped differently.

Here I will share the details and steps for making both rice glue and glutinous rice balls.

Rice Glue Balls (Yuan Xiao)

Let’s make some red beans paste flavored rice glue balls!

Ingredient List: (Makes twelve rice glue balls) Stuffing:

• Red bean paste (from Asian grocery stores): 144g

• Cooked glutinous rice flour: about 50g Wrapping:

• Glutinous rice flour: about 300g

• One bowl of water

1. Prepare the stuffing. If the red bean paste is too sticky, add some cooked glutinous rice flour until you can make a ball with the paste. (I added 20g)

2. Divide the stuffing into twelve equal pieces and roll them into balls.

3. Cover a plate with cooked glutinous rice flour. Place the stuffed balls onto the plate and put them in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.

4. Fill a big bowl or an 8-inch baking dish with glutinous rice flour. Also, fill one bowl of water and place it aside.

5. Take the stuffed balls out of the freezer.

6. Place 3-4 stuffed balls inside the big bowl/baking dish and shake the big bowl/ baking dish gently, allowing the stuffed balls to coat themselves with the powder.

7. Place the stuffed balls that are coated with powder inside a sifter. Dip the sifter into the bowl of water and hold for three seconds.

8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for 8-10 times.

9. Refrigerate the balls.

Glutinous Rice Balls (Tang Yuan)

Let’s make some meat-flavored glutinous rice balls! (If you want to eat red bean paste flavored-glutinous rice balls, replace the stuffing with red bean paste.)

Ingredient List: (Makes sixteen glutinous rice balls)

Stuffing:

- 100g minced pork

- 1 tbsp soy sauce

- ½ tbsp dark soy sauce

- 2/3 tbsp sugar

- 2 tbsp chicken broth

Wrapping:

- 1 cup glutinous rice flour

- ½ cup water

1. Put all the stuffing ingredients into a bowl. Stir until all the chicken broth is fully absorbed into the meat. You will see the meat gaining a bit of stickiness when it is ready.

2. Separate the stuffing into 16 balls. You can freeze them to make the wrapping process easier.

3. Mix the wrapping ingredients until it does not stick to your hand. You can adjust the wrapping by slightly adding water or glutinous rice flour.

4. Remove 8-10 grams of the dough and cook it in a pot of boiled water until it floats up.

5. Mix the cooked dough with the raw dough.

6. Knead the dough and divide it into 16 equal pieces. Cover the dough with a wet paper towel to keep it moist.

7. Take the stuffing out of the freezer.

8. Take one piece of the dough and roll it into a ball.

9. Use your thumb to make it into a bowl.

10. Insert one stuffed ball into the bowl and seal the opening.

How to Cook Sweet Dumplings?

Boil water in a pot. Put the balls inside the boiling water. Use a spoon to stir them gently to prevent the balls from sticking. Turn the heat down to medium and cook until the balls float to the surface. Cook for another 5-8 minutes, and it is ready to eat. Serve the sweet dumplings hot with soup, and enjoy!

The History of Sweet Dumplings

Do you know how long people have eaten sweet dumplings in China? Well, the answer is that in the official records, people have been eating sweet dumplings as long ago as in the Song dynasty! That is nearly a thousand years ago! Other forms of sweet dumplings are said to have existed in the Warring States period in China about two thousand five hundred years ago.

Sweet dumplings are eaten during the Lantern Festival (the 15th day of the first lunar month). The Lantern Festival originated from the 7th emperor of the Han dynasty (156 B.C.). At the time of the Han dynasty, the Lantern Festival was used for sacrificing to the Chinese god (Tai Yi).

Over time, the Lantern Festival became a national holiday where people can view colorful lanterns, play a couplets game, guess lantern riddles, watch lion and or dragon dances, and, of course, eat sweet dumplings! There are many more things that you can do at the Lantern Festival temple fair.

Why do people eat sweet dumplings? According to folk experts, people eat it because it represents the reunion of the family. Sweet dumplings floating in the boiling water look like the moon in the sky. In China, the moon represents reunion, so eating sweet dumplings means a happy, united family.

Although sweet dumplings are tasty, you should not eat too many because the wrapping is made from glutinous rice, so if you eat too much, you will get indigestion. In China, there is an old saying: “Serve it hot, eat it slowly, don’t get scalded, and don’t choke.”