I definitely have love for chewy things (as you know) and the tang yuan in this soup my mom made are no exception. The little balls are rolled from a rice flour dough and then boiled in a rich, savory broth filled with napa cabbage, watercress, slivers of pork, and dried mushrooms. 
Tang yuan are usually eaten around the Yuan Xiao holiday and there are tons of variations on how to prepare the chewy little globes. Savory versions typically include a hot, meaty broth, bits of pork, and tung hao cai (a leafy green vegetable, similar to watercress, that I don't know the name of in English). Sweet preparations fill the balls with black sesame, red bean, or peanut paste, or float them unfilled in syrup. There's also a version in which unfilled tang yuan are cooked in a broth of sweet fermented rice and swirls of egg.
Tang yuan aren't difficult to make but they do require a bit of preparation, so it's always a treat when my mom cooks up a pot. In demonstration of my appreciation for her efforts, I was glad to slurp up a large bowlful.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Having a ball: Tang yuan
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my dad used to make these for us with a sugar cube inside. it's been over 25 years since i've had them but i swear i can still taste them in my mind's memory...
ReplyDeletemy parents make the fermented rice, i love it with the tang yuan. yum. they have some in their fridge right now, i think i will go raid it.
ReplyDeleteOMG! That's so Toisanese! Do you dip them in soy sauce with lots of black pepper? YUM!
ReplyDeleteAnnamatic, wow, a sugar cube? Does the sugar melt or is it still solid? I'm fascinated.
ReplyDeleteXiu, what, they just happen to have it around? Why am I not living in your house?
Gastro888, I've never tried it like that. Sounds delicious!
wow. i haven't had these in years since my mom's passing. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE provide a recipe!
ReplyDeleteAnon, I'll ask my mom, but it'll probsbly take a while. I'd love to know the recipe too!
ReplyDeleteThis is the type of tang yuan I grew up with as well, and I'd love to get a recipe too. My mom has given me a recipe with a bunch of generalities (a little of this, a little of that...). Mmmmm..... the best I've had was when one of my relatives made it in Taiwan. I remember that it had Chinese celery in it and a very flavorful pork broth.
ReplyDeleteJody, I remember having amazing tang yuan at my grandmother's house in Taiwan too. I've emailed my folks to ask for the recipe. I'll get it up as soon as I can!
ReplyDelete