{"id":110402,"title":"Black Sesame Tangyuan","modified":"2025-10-29T17:06:11+01:00","plain":"Chinese dumplings are a beloved treat for Lunar New Year, a season rich with wonderful traditions and celebrations.\n\n\n\nBut no celebration feels complete without the dishes that define the season. Tangyuan are to the Lunar New Year what the yule log is to Christmas: an almost essential tradition.\n\n\n\nYuanxiao (Lantern Festival dumplings) \u2013 also called tangyuan \u2013 are a classic of the Chinese New Year season, especially for the Lantern Festival, the final day of the traditional Lunar New Year celebrations.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDuring the Lantern Festival, paper lanterns fill the night sky with a beautiful glow, symbolizing letting go of the past and looking ahead.\n\n\n\nOver time, the Lantern Festival has also come to resemble a kind of Chinese Valentine\u2019s Day, echoing the historic tradition of matchmaking in the streets during the festivities.\n\n\n\nAlso for Chinese New Year, try the sugar-coated tanghulu strawberries.\n\n\n\nTangyuan are sweet glutinous rice dumplings typically filled with sweet red bean paste, black sesame paste made from sesame seeds, or even peanut butter.\n\n\n\nIn Chinese culture, the round shape of tangyuan and the special bowls they\u2019re usually served in symbolize family unity.\n\n\n\nHave fun with a little food coloring.\n\n\n\nEnjoying tangyuan is said to bring a family happiness and good luck in the new year. For the same reason, these dumplings are also served at Chinese weddings and other family gatherings.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\tBlack Sesame Tangyuan\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t200 g unsalted butter, at room temperature200 g black sesame powder (grind black sesame seeds in a blender)225 g granulated sugar1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine500 g glutinous rice flour118 ml water\t\n\t\n\t\tIn a medium saucepan over low heat, stir together the butter, black sesame powder, sugar, and Shaoxing wine until smooth.Remove from the heat and let cool completely (freeze for 15 to 20 minutes if needed).Roll the mixture into 1-teaspoon balls with your hands. Set aside.Place the glutinous rice flour in a large bowl. Add the water a little at a time, kneading until the dough resembles modeling clay\u2014smooth and pliable, not too soft.Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, form the dumplings.Pinch off a piece of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into a ball, then use your thumb to press a deep indentation in the center.Place a sesame ball in the indentation and seal it completely inside the dough. Make sure the dough is tightly sealed around the filling. Smooth the seams with slightly moistened fingers, dusting with a little flour if needed. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.Cook the dumplings in the boiling water over medium-high heat, gently stirring in one direction so they don't stick. When they float to the surface, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 1 minute more.Lift the dumplings out with a slotted spoon as they finish cooking. Blot gently on a clean towel, transfer to a large dish, and serve.Alternatively, serve in a warm bowl with a light syrup of water, sugar, and orange blossom water.\t\n\t\n\t\t\nGlutinous rice flour and black sesame powder are available in most Asian supermarkets. If you can't find black sesame powder, grind black sesame seeds in a food processor until finely powdered.\nThe amount of water needed for glutinous rice flour can vary widely depending on your local humidity and even the age of the flour.\nGlutinous rice flour can be a little tricky. At first the dough may look too dry, and 20 seconds later it may stick to your hands because you've added too much water. If that happens, work in a little more glutinous rice flour. If the dough is too dry, add more water\u2014just a tiny amount at a time.\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\tDessertChinoisetang yuan, tangyuan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110402"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110402\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110581,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110402\/revisions\/110581"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}