• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Missing Lokness

Easy Everyday Recipes

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • So-Cal Travel Guide
  • Privacy Policy

Homemade Sesame Glutinous Rice Dumplings (Tang Yuan)

February 14, 2018 By Lokness 5 Comments

Celebrate Chinese New Year with these Sesame Glutinous Rice Dumplings (Tang Yuan)! They are little gooey dumplings stuffed with a sweet black sesame filling. Little nutty with a roasted flavor and little sweet. 

Chinese New Year is just 2 days away (Friday)! 2018 is the year of dog. Even though I no longer live in Hong Kong, I try to keep a little bit of the tradition in my home. I decorated the house with a few good luck phrases over the weekend. We record greeting video and picture for the families. Tomorrow, I’m going to make turnip cakes. And these homemade sesame dumplings would be the perfect ending for the festive celebration.

Glutinous rice dumplings (Tang Yuan 湯圓) are dessert dumplings that are stuffed with sweet fillings, like red bean, peanut or sesame. They are usually served on the last day of Chinese New Year (the 15th day), Lantern Festival. Chinese believes the round dumplings symbolize family togetherness, which will bring happiness to the family. There is also another version of these dumplings that do not have filling, but coat with sesame seeds on the outside. My mom’s side of the family serve them on New Year day. Different Chinese regions do things slightly different.

This dumpling dough is made with glutinous rice flour, aka sticky rice flour. The texture of the dough is a little chewy, but soft at the same time. If you have mochi before, that is pretty much the same texture. The filling that I use in this recipe is black sesame, which is my favorite. It’s basically ground sesame seeds and sugar that bind together with a little bit of fat (butter or lard). It turned into a thick paste, which can be rolled into little balls. Freeze them, so the filling won’t fall apart easily and they will be easier to wrap in the dough.

The dumplings are served in a sweet soup. The soup is sweeten with brown sugar bricks (made from cane sugar) and ginger. It’s warm and slightly sweet, which is almost like a sweet tea. When taking a bite of the dumpling, you first get the chewy dough and then, the hot nutty filling starts to burst out. It is nutty with a savory and roasted flavor. Can’t ask for a better dessert for Chinese New Year!

Wish you and your families a healthy and happy new year!

恭喜發財! 萬事如意! 身體健康!

Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Homemade Sesame Glutinous Rice Dumplings (Tang Yuan)

Course Dessert
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword black sesame, chinese, chinese new year, dessert, dessert soup, glutinous rice flour
Servings 23 dumplings
Author Lokness

Ingredients

Sesame Filling:

  • 100 grams black sesame seeds
  • 90 grams sugar
  • 65 grams unsalted butter (melted)

Dough:

  • 2 cups glutinous rice flour
  • 110 milliliters boiling water
  • 100 milliliters cold water

Sweet Soup:

  • 4½ cups water
  • 4 1-inch thin ginger slices (cut the skin off)
  • 1 brown sugar pieces (brick)

Instructions

  • In a large skillet over medium heat, add the black sesame seeds (do not use any oil). Heat for 3 – 5 minutes until fragrant, stirring often. If you bought roasted sesame seeds, just toast them quickly for 1 minute. Transfer to a large plate to cool completely, at least 1½ hours.
  • In a food processor or blender, add the cooled black sesame seeds. Process until fine (as fine as you can). Transfer to a medium bowl. Add sugar and mix well. Add melted butter and combine. Divide the paste into 23 portions. Roll and squish them into little balls. Transfer to freezer and chill for at least 1 hour.
  • When the filling is ready, work on the dough. In a large bowl, add glutinous rice flour. Carefully add the boiling water. Stirring with a wooden spoon until some clumps formed. Add cold water and stir to incorporate everything. Mix with hand. If there is still dry flour on the bottom of the bowl, it needs more water. Add 1 teaspoon cold water and mix again. If it’s still too dry, repeat the process. The dough should be smooth. Knead for a couple minutes.
  • Divide the dough into 23 portions, about 20 grams each. Cover the dough with a moist towel. Roll each portion into a ball and pat into a small pancake (about 4-inch in diameter). Place one frozen filling in the middle. Carefully wrap the filling with the dough and roll into a ball. Transfer to a large plate and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
  • The dumplings can be used right away. You can also keep them in the fridge in a ziploc bag if using within a few hours. If not, freeze in a ziploc bag and use within a couple weeks. 
  • For the sweet soup, in a medium pot, bring the water to boil in high heat.
  • Meanwhile, put the ginger slices on the chopping board. Smash the ginger with the side of a knife to release the ginger juice and flavor.
  • Once the water is boiling, put in ginger slices and half of sugar (break the sugar with the back of a knife). When the sugar has melted, taste to try. Adjust the sweetness to your likeness.
  • Take the dumplings out of the fridge or freezer, about 2 – 3 dumplings per person. Carefully place them in the boiling liquid. Reduce the heat to low. To make sure the dumplings do not stick to the bottom of the pot, use a spoon to scoop them lightly. Wait until they float on the water. Once they are floating, cook for 2 more minutes (from fridge) or 3 – 4 minutes (from freezer). Transfer the dumplings and soup to serving bowls. Serve immediately.

Notes

  1. Brown sugar brick is a big piece of hard cane sugar. It tastes like brown sugar. Here is a picture of how they look like. You can find them in Chinese or Vietnamese supermarkets.
  2. Black sesame seeds, and glutinous rice flour can be found in Chinese supermarkets, like 99 Ranch.
  3. When grounding the black sesame seeds, it's better to process as fine as you can do. That way, the filling will be smoother. Even if you can't, they will still taste great.
  4. These dumplings are best to serve as soon as possible. Cracks could form when freezing. But as long as the filling don't burst out while cooking, you are fine.
  5. Frozen dumplings can be used immediately. No thawing is needed.
(Adapted from Eupho Cafe)

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

Filed Under: Cook, Dessert/Sweet Tagged With: black sesame, chinese, Chinese New Year, dessert, dessert soup, dumpling, glutinous rice flour, tang yuan

Previous Post: « Brown Butter Madeleines with Rose Glaze
Next Post: Pan-Fried Turnip Cake with XO Sauce »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Julie Sc says

    April 17, 2021 at 7:49 am

    5 stars
    This looks yummy – do you think I can steam these instead, to eat dry (without soup)?

    Reply
    • Lokness says

      April 17, 2021 at 8:57 am

      Hi Julie, you can definitely eat this without soup. For steaming, I haven’t tried that. It should work technically, but not sure how long. Let me know if you tried it.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Chinese New Year: Sesame Glutinous Rice Balls | The Missing Lokness says:
    February 15, 2018 at 7:45 am

    […] Homemade Sesame Glutinous Rice Dumplings (Tang Yuan) […]

    Reply
  2. Recipes For Chinese New Year (Over 60 recipes!) - Drugstore Divas says:
    January 17, 2020 at 4:52 pm

    […] • Tang Yuan (Sesame Glutinous Rice Dumplings) […]

    Reply
  3. 30 Sweet Dumplings You Must Try: Dessert Dumpling Recipes That Are Foolproof! says:
    August 4, 2021 at 5:37 am

    […] here to get the recipe from The Missing […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hello there!

Welcome! I'm Lokness. Currently live in Los Angles. Grew up in Hong Kong. Obsessed with chocolate & ice cream. Cooking is something I love. This is where I share my stories and recipes. Want to know more? Click here.
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Trending Posts

  • Hong Kong Style Borscht Soup #soup #hongkongfood #vegetables #beefbone #borschtsoup | The Missing Lokness Hong Kong Style Borscht Soup
  • Hong Kong Style Macaroni Soup w/ Ham | Light & comforting noodle soup to start the day! Ready in less than 20mins. #macaroni #noodlesoup #pasta #hongkongstylecafe #chachaanteng #breakfast #breakfastrecipe #comfortfood #hongkong | The Missing Lokness Hong Kong Style Macaroni Soup with Ham
  • Easy Sushi Bake #sushibake #hawaiianrecipe #imitationcrab #avocado #easyrecipe #furikake #seaweed #dinner #dinnerrecipe #appetizer | The Missing Lokness Easy Sushi Bake
  • Cantonese Style BBQ Pork over Rice (Char Siu with Rice) #hongkongrecipe #cantoneserecipe #chinesebbq #charsiu #bbqpork #pork #rice #roasted #dinner #dinnerrecipe #叉燒飯 | The Missing Lokness Cantonese Style BBQ Pork over Rice (Char Siu with Rice)
  • Miso Beef Onigiri

missinglokness

🍩 Recipe Developer & Food Lover (I cook & eat around the city!) 🐹 Animals Lover 🏠 Los Angeles🌴(From HK 🇭🇰)

This Vancouver trip, we spent most of our time in This Vancouver trip, we spent most of our time in Richmond, British Colombia. It’s the city where the airport is located & right next to Vancouver. There is a huge Chinese community, so there’re many traditional Chinese food. One of the most memorable for me has to be this char siu & roasted duck w/ rice. Char siu had the perfect balance of meat & fat. I also got the soup of the day. It was very comforting & I finished the whole bowl. The atmosphere, the people & the food reminded me of Hong Kong. I’ll definitely come back next time! 

Tips: Many restaurants & food stalls in Richmond only take cash. 

🌟HK BBQ Master
📍4651 No. 3 Rd, Richmond, BC V6X 2C4, Canada
The trip to Vancouver was short, but I was thrille The trip to Vancouver was short, but I was thrilled to catch up w/ Betty (@6etty). Last time we met was 7 years ago. We got to know each other through blogging. Betty is now a bakery owner (@beaucoupbakery) w/ 2 locations in Vancouver. Her pastries & patisseries are fantastic! The almond croissant and yuzu lemon tart were so good. I wish I have more time to try a few more things! Always next time, right?

🌟Beaucoup Bakery (2 locations)
📍602 Dunsmuir St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1Y6, Canada
Hojicha Panna Cotta. Melt in your mouth creaminess Hojicha Panna Cotta. Melt in your mouth creaminess w/ a roasted tea flavor. Sweet & slightly nutty. Tasted like a rich milk tea. Sooo good that we had it 3 nights in a row. 🤭

Recipe link in profile ⬆️ #ontheblog #TheMissingLokness

https://www.themissinglokness.com/2023/09/07/hojicha-panna-cotta/
Hello Allan the Corpse Flower! So excited to see o Hello Allan the Corpse Flower! So excited to see one blooming in person. Although we were a couple hours too early that it hasn’t started to smell, it’s still magnificent! 💚 @thehuntingtonlibrary
Salted Caramel Peach Icebox Cake. After seeing all Salted Caramel Peach Icebox Cake. After seeing all the ripe peaches at Farmer’s Market, I really wanted to make something special w/ them. This no bake cake is the perfect one! Sweet mascarpone whipped cream layers w/ fresh peach compote, salted caramel & graham crackers. Creamy & not too sweet! Hard to eat just one slice!

Recipe link in profile ⬆️ #ontheblog #TheMissingLokness

https://www.themissinglokness.com/2023/08/09/salted-caramel-peach-icebox-cake/
Yuzu Salmon Onigiri.🍙 After seeing Bryan playin Yuzu Salmon Onigiri.🍙 After seeing Bryan playing The Legend of Zelda for a while, I’ve been craving onigiri. My version is made w/ canned salmon & yuzu kosho (yuzu chili paste). It’s savory w/ little yuzu flavor & not spicy at all. Love them for lunch! They’re especially good when the rice is still warm. 

Recipe link in profile ⬆️ #ontheblog #TheMissingLokness

https://www.themissinglokness.com/2023/07/20/yuzu-salmon-onigiri/
Something cold for a warm summer night. This Shred Something cold for a warm summer night. This Shredded Chicken & Cucumber w/ Sesame Dressing is satisfying & packed w/ flavors. Chicken leg was poached in aromatic liquid & chilled in ice bath, then shred into thin strips. Toss w/ refreshing cucumber & coat in a creamy & flavorful sesame dressing. If you like, serve w/ some chewy noodles. 

Recipe link in profile ⬆️ #ontheblog #TheMissingLokness

https://www.themissinglokness.com/2023/06/29/shredded-chicken-and-cucumber-with-sesame-dressing/
Guava Cream Cheese Swirl Ice Cream. Inspired by my Guava Cream Cheese Swirl Ice Cream. Inspired by my recent visit to Little Havana in Miami. Rich cream cheese ice cream w/ swirls of guava jam & crushed Maria cookies. This maybe the BEST ice cream I have ever made! Who loves guava & cream cheese combo?🙋🏻‍♀️

Recipe link in profile ⬆️ #ontheblog #TheMissingLokness

https://www.themissinglokness.com/2023/06/15/guava-cream-cheese-swirl-ice-cream/
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 · The Missing Lokness · Privacy Policy

 

Loading Comments...