Tang yuan (汤圆) is a Chinese dessert made using glutinous rice flour. Small amount of water will be mixed with the flour to make into a pliable dough. The dough is then rolled into small balls, cooked in boiling water, and served in a sweet syrup. Traditionally, we eat this on the 15th day of Chinese New Year and on winter solstice (冬至). It can also be served to a newly wed couple on their wedding day. Tang yuan usually signifies family reunion, or a “happy ending” (圆满).
I made some red bean soup for tea break today, which was mildly sweetened using honey. For the panda tang yuan, it is wrapped with some chopped gula melaka. This combi goes really well!
若想阅读中文版本，请在网页的右边 “Google Translate” 点击选择 中文简体 (Chinese Simplified）或 繁体 (Chinese Traditional) 翻译。可能食谱读起来会怪怪的，所以如果有疑问都可以问哦！
You can also take a look at my previous Winnie the Pooh tang yuan, which was made using the same recipe, except for its black sesame filling.
This recipe serves about 2 adults. It makes about 6 pcs of deco tang yuan, and since tang yuan is made from glutinous rice flour, it can make you feel full easily. Do go easy on the serving, especially if you are also serving the tang yuan with sweet dessert soup.
>> MORE DESSERT RECIPES:
Panda Deco Tang Yuan 熊猫造型汤圆
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp glutinous rice flour
- 2.5 to 3 tbsp water
- 1 tsp charcoal powder
- 2 tbsp Chopped gula melaka
Instructions
- Place glutinous rice flour in a medium sized bowl. Add in water by 3 batches to mix with the flour. For the last addition of water, slowly add in the water if dough is still dry. You can knead with your hands to get a better feel of the dough. The dough should not be dry and cracking; feels a little like the softness of your earlobe.
- Once the main dough is ready, remove a portion of it (about 1/6 of dough). Add in charcoal powder or black food coloring if you do not have charcoal powder. Knead till color is even. You might need to dab your fingers with some water to moisten the dough.
- Once the 2 colors dough are ready, you can shape the pandas. First separate the white dough into portions and size of your liking. Roughly roll into balls and flatten it. Place chopped gula melaka into the centre and seal properly. You might not want to place too much gula melaka in the dough, as it might leak.
- After rolling all the white dough, wrapped with gula melaka, place them onto a shallow plate or pan. Place a pc of cling wrap over the plate, to prevent drying out and cracking. Take note to not let the cling wrap touch the dough.
- Prepare the parts for the panda: ears, eyes and nose using the black dough. Place the black dough onto the panda's "face".
- Bring a small pot of water to boil. Once boiling, drop the tang yuan gently into the pot. The tang yuan is done when it floats up. Boil for 1 min further before scooping it up.
- You can serve the tang yuan with sweet soup, ginger soup or simple peanut sugar mixture 🙂
Notes
Be careful not to wrap too much of the gula melaka, else it may leak like mine.
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