Description
Peanut Tang Yuan is a traditional Chinese dessert featuring sticky glutinous rice balls filled with a sweet and nutty peanut filling, served in a fragrant sweet ginger and pandan leaf soup. This recipe combines the crunch and flavor of toasted peanuts with the chewy texture of glutinous rice dough, simmered to perfection in a soothing ginger broth sweetened with brown and granulated sugar.
Ingredients
Scale
Peanut Filling
- 3/4 cup raw peanuts
- 3 tbsp castor sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Sweet Ginger Soup
- 4 cups water
- 4 inch ginger, sliced
- 4 pandan leaves
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 6 tbsp granulated/castor sugar
Glutinous Rice Balls
- 1 1/4 cups glutinous rice flour
- 1/2 cup warm water
Instructions
- Toast Peanuts: Spread the raw peanuts in a frying pan and heat them over low to medium heat. Stir constantly to ensure even cooking and toast until golden brown. Remove from heat and let them cool completely before processing.
- Prepare Peanut Filling: Place the cooled toasted peanuts in a food processor and pulse a few times to grind them into a fine powder—avoid over-processing to prevent turning into peanut butter. In a medium bowl, combine peanut powder, castor sugar, salt, and vegetable oil, mixing well until fully incorporated. Refrigerate the filling until firm enough to handle.
- Make Sweet Ginger Soup: In a large pot, add water, sliced ginger, and pandan leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 30 minutes to infuse the flavors. Stir in brown sugar and granulated sugar until dissolved. Remove and discard the pandan leaves and ginger slices. Keep the soup warm.
- Prepare Glutinous Rice Dough: Place glutinous rice flour in a large bowl. Gradually add warm water, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Initially, the dough will seem dry; resist the urge to add extra water. Knead the dough until smooth and pliable, adding a bit more water if needed but ensuring it isn’t too wet to maintain shape integrity.
- Shape Dough and Fill: Dust work surface with a little glutinous rice flour. Divide the dough evenly into two portions. Cover one portion with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Roll the other into a log and cut into 12 equal pieces. Shape each into a ball and cover to keep moist. For each ball, make an indentation with your thumb, place 1 teaspoon of peanut filling inside, then carefully stretch the dough around the filling, pinching to seal. Roll again until smooth. Place on a floured tray and cover to prevent drying. Repeat until 24 balls are made.
- Cook Tang Yuan: Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Gently add the glutinous rice balls and cook until they float to the surface, indicating they are done.
- Serve: Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked tang yuan balls into the prepared sweet ginger soup. Serve warm or at room temperature for the best experience.
Notes
- Chilling the peanut filling makes it easier to handle and shape inside the dough balls.
- Be cautious not to over-grind peanuts when making the filling to avoid peanut butter consistency.
- Simmering the ginger soup longer intensifies the ginger flavor.
- If the dough is too dry or cracking, add water sparingly to achieve pliability.
- Tang yuan can be frozen after shaping for convenience and cooked later without losing quality.
- Maintain a lightly floured surface and cover dough and balls properly to prevent drying out.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Chinese
Keywords: Peanut Tang Yuan, Glutinous Rice Balls, Sweet Ginger Soup, Chinese Dessert, Sticky Rice Balls, Traditional Chinese Sweet
