Sweet Glutinous Rice Dumplings with Black Sesame (落湯糍/糯米糍)
Makes 12 - 14 dumplings
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup roasted black sesame seeds
- 150 grams glutinous rice flour
- 170 milliliter water
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil (plus extra for handling dough)
- 1½ tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- In a medium nonstick pan over medium heat, add the roasted black sesame seeds. Stir and do a quick toast for about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate to cool completely.
- Ground the sesame seeds with a mini food processor (or grinder) into coarse powder. Transfer back to the plate. Set aside.
- In a large pot or wok (with lid), put in the steaming rack and add water that reaches 1-inch below the top of the rack. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, add the flour. Mix in the water and oil until combined. The dough should be almost like play dough, but runnier. Transfer the dough to a medium bowl that can be steamed and fit in the wok.
- Put the bowl on top of the steaming rack. Cover the wok with a lid and steam for 20 minutes.
- Once the dough is ready, carefully remove the bowl and place on a table. Have someone holding the bowl, stir the dough clockwise with a strong, long and thin utensil (like the handle of a wooden spoon) for 3 – 4 minutes. The dough will get stickier and tougher.
- To make the dumplings, slightly grease a pair of chopsticks on one end. Holding the pair of chopsticks tightly, stab into the dough, pull out and twist the pair of chopsticks together to get approximately 1 tablespoon of dough. Now, take one chopstick in each hand. Scrap the chopsticks back and forth against each other, until the dough has moved to the end of a chopstick. Use a slightly greased hand to separate the dumpling from the chopstick. Roll the dumpling in the sesame seeds until the dumpling is completely covered. Place the dumpling on a small steaming plate. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- To serve, cover the dumplings (in the steaming plate) with aluminum foil. Re-steam the dumplings over medium heat for 6 – 7 minutes (make sure water is boiling before starting to steam). Serve immediately w/ a plate of sugar. Dip the dumplings in sugar to serve.
Notes
- Glutinous rice flour is different than rice flour. Look at the package carefully. You can find it in Chinese supermarket.
- Even though the sesame seeds are already roasted, I like to do a quick toast to bring out more flavors. But don't toast for too long. They will get burn and have a bitter taste.
- I used a mini food processor to ground the sesame seeds. A grinder or mortar and pestle will work too. If you don't have any of those equipments, you can use a wooden spoon to grind the seeds little by little in a small bowl. It is a long painful process, but it will do the job.
- Stirring the dough after 1st steaming will help to make the dough more gooey, which is critical.
- I found the chopsticks to be helpful for making the dumplings. You can use any methods you want. The goal is to make into 12 – 14 1-tablespoon balls.
- The dumplings can make 1 - 2 day(s) ahead. After the dumplings have been rolled with the sesame seeds. Cover with aluminum foil and keep at room temperature. Re-steam the dumplings when ready to serve.
- If you cannot find roasted sesame seeds, you can get regular black sesame seeds and toast them yourself. How to toast sesame seeds: Read