Black Sesame Tang Yuan (黑芝麻汤圆)

Enjoying Black Sesame Tang Yuan is one of the most simple pleasures in life! Serve it during the Winter Solstice, at the end of a family banquet or as a comforting dessert. Each glutinous rice ball is silky soft on the outside and fragrantly nutty on the inside!

For a mung bean version, try Grandma’s Vietnamese Glutinous Rice Balls (Chè Trôi Nước)!

A favorite for all the right reasons

Black Sesame Tang Yuan is my FAVORITE dessert. It may be a festive dish for many, but for me, I don’t have to be celebrating anything to eat it. When a hot bowl lands on my table, I’m cheering!

They’re actually incredibly easy to find in Asian supermarkets. You’ll see them packaged in packets in the frozen section and all it takes is a quick boil. If you’re really lucky, you’ll even get it served to you after a Chinese banquet instead of the traditional Red Bean Dessert Soup (红豆汤)!

But nothing beats homemade.

When you make it at home, you can get the whole family involved. For us, it looks like this: Mum and Grandma would be gathered by the stove with the pot roaring as they roll and drop each glutinous rice ball in.

I would be scooping the cooked ones out into the cool water while rolling baby balls with no filling. This is how it has always been for us and ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved every minute of it.

Then when it’s all done, we’d all be rewarded with the delicately chewy texture of the each hand rolled rice ball. And once you break through that skin, the deep nutty flavor will explode in your mouth and send you back for seconds.

There’s no other dessert quite like it!

Why do Chinese eat tang yuan?

There are many varieties of glutinous rice balls in China, and they’re often eaten with the family. You’d typically find them served during special occasions like reunions, weddings, the Lunar New Year and during the Winter Solstice Festival (Dōngzhì Festival, 冬至).

Mum says the tradition behind eating this dish during the Winter Solstice Festival is that once you eat a serving of tang yuan, you’re one year older. This ‘Asian birthday’ reminds us of one precept: Being a year wiser comes with the responsibility of being more thoughtful when interacting with the world.

What does it symbolize?

Glutinous rice balls are usually made and eaten during the Dōngzhì Festival. This tradition unites the family together in a symbolism of reunion. Families also eat them on the last day of the Lantern Festival (Yuánxiāo Festival, 元宵节) as a way to welcome harmony and luck.

The round shape of the tang yuan balls also symbolizes a whole or sense of completeness.

What do you eat tang yuan with?

Growing up, I enjoyed having Black Sesame Tang Yuan with ginger syrup or with a light taro sweet soup, much like a watered down version of our Sago Soup With Taro (西米露).

But you can serve it with many other options, including Black Sesame Soup (芝麻糊), sweetened water, osthmanthus, egg flower or sweet fermented rice.

You can have it on its own as a dessert or serve it alongside festive dishes like Steamed Oysters with Ginger and Shallots, Braised Sea Cucumber with Mushrooms, Steamed Fish with Ginger and Shallots and Fish Maw Soup for a complete family feast!

Grandma also used to make a savory version for Grandpa. This is typical in Northern China, where a stock or lightly seasoned water is used as the liquid. Some come filled with ingredients like mushrooms or pork. Grandpa liked his in a duck broth garnished with coriander.

At the end of the day, every version of glutinous rice balls tells a culinary story of its own and they’re especially delicious when enjoyed with the family!

Why this recipe works

• Using a mortar and pestle to grind the sesame seeds releases the natural oils for a richer nutty aroma.
• Mixing in lard gives the filling a buttery texture and fragrance.
• Pairing the dessert with a sweet ginger syrup balances the deep flavors with a simple and warm liquid.

What you’ll need

For the dough

About the flour

We get glutinous rice flour from the Asian supermarket. It is not to be confused for rice flour, which is an ingredient typically used in desserts.

For the filling

About the lard

You can make your own by rendering pork fat as we did with our Hokkien Pork Noodle Soup. Let it cool completely before use. Alternatively, substitute it using equal parts unsalted butter, ghee or coconut oil.

Just be mindful of the fact that the flavors will differ depending on which one you use.

For the ginger syrup

About the sugar

We use a mix of rock sugar and brown sugar slabs for a rich yet light syrup. You can use regular sugar or any sweetener you prefer. Just remember to adjust to taste as different types will have different levels of sweetness.

How to make this recipe

Combine the glutinous rice flour with the water and mix until well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit for a minimum of 30 minutes, or in the fridge overnight.

Note: If you plan on letting it rise overnight, test to see if it’s too dry the next morning. If you find it too dry or hard to work with, knead in 1 tbsp water at a time until it becomes smooth and pliable.

Toast the black and white sesame seeds in a pan over low heat for 15 minutes or until each white seed has browned. Set aside to cool completely.

Use a mortar and pestle to grind the seeds until they become a fine powder. The finer the texture, the smoother the paste.

Pound in the sugar and lard until it becomes a smooth paste.

Pro Tip: Use a large mortar and pestle so you can mix everything at once.

Roll the paste into balls, roughly 3cm (1″) wide and put them on a plate. Cover the dish and freeze for 30 minutes or until firm to touch.

Meanwhile, lightly crush the ginger using a mortar and pestle.

Bring 5 US cup water to a boil, then add the crushed ginger, rock sugar and brown sugar slabs in. Let it simmer on low-medium for 10 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved, then turn off the heat.

Note: The longer it gets boiled for, the spicier it will get from the ginger and the deeper the sweetness from the sugars.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and take the cold filling balls out of the freezer. As the water rapidly boils, pull out a dough ball roughly 2cm (0.8″) thick.

Roll it into a ball and flatten it in your palms, then pull, press and mold it around the black sesame ball. Make the skin about 0.5mm (0.02″) thick. Once the dough is wrapped around all the filling, give it one final roll to smooth the outside.

Note: If there is any leftover dough, roll them into small 1cm (0.4″) thick balls.

Gently place the rolled ball into the boiling water and repeat this with the other filling balls. Once they start to float, scoop them out with a slotted spoon and submerge in cool water.

To serve, take the Black Sesame Tang Yuan out of the water and put it in a bowl with some ginger syrup.

Enjoy hot as is!

Recipe FAQs

Tips for the best results

• Let the dough rest overnight. This will help it rise and give each glutinous rice ball skin a better texture.
• Don’t overcook the balls. Once they start floating in the water, take them out quickly so the outer skin doesn’t get too soft and fall apart.
• Let the filling freeze until solid. As you wrap the filling, they’ll begin melting. Make sure to get them firm before working on them so they retain their shape.

More festive dishes

Whether you’re celebrating with a Lunar New Year banquet or getting ready for a holiday feast, these are some terrific ways to gather the family around:

• Seafood Rolls – Indulge in this crispy restaurant-style appetizer loaded with shrimp and scallops dipped in a creamy mayonnaise.
• XO Pipis with Crispy Rice Noodles (XO 蜆煎米底) – This finger lickin’ noodle dish is the perfect way to add authentic Cantonese flavors to your seafood feast.
• Seafood Tofu (玉孑豆府) – Stir fried scallops and shrimp lay on a delicate bed of fried silken tofu. It’s phenomenal over rice!
• Ginger Scallion Lobster (蔥薑龍蝦) – If you’re celebrating, there’s every reason to include a serving of juicy sweet lobster cooked with fresh aromatics.
• Lotus Root and Pork Soup (蓮藕汤) – Soothing, homey and everything a family reunion needs. This classic soup is so easy to make as well!

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