Peanut Yuan Xiao 花生元宵 (huā shēng yuán xiaō) and Black Sesame Rice Balls 芝麻湯圓 (zhī má tāng yuán) are a definite must have during Chinese New Year. We can eat them anytime, but especially on Lantern Festival 元宵節 (yuán xiaō jié), Mid-Autumn Festival and Winter Solstice Festival.
My mom always told me that tang yuan and yuan xiao were the same thing. After researching, she’s not completely wrong but there is a difference. Tang yuan is eaten in southern China and yuan xiao is eaten in northern China. Tang yuan is made using dough and wrapped around a filling. Yuan xiao uses a filling that is repeatedly dipped into water and then covered with sweet glutinous rice flour for around 10 times. This creates an outer shell for the filling. They taste similar except the texture of the yuan xiao is coarser. There is a coarser type of sweet glutinous rice flour available in China that is for the purpose of making yuan xiao. Here in Canada, we only have it in fine type but still usable.
Both these rice balls symbolize the moon, family and happiness. It has been a long tradition for family members to make rice balls together during Chinese New Year. It represents the 團圓 tuán yuán which means (family) reunion. The rolling of the yuan xiao gives it another auspicious aspect. The word 滾 (gǔn) means to roll. (It also means to “get out” in a scolding way, but we’ll just focus on the positive meaning). There’s a saying 財源滾滾 (cái yuán gún gǔn) which means to have an endless source of money rolling in. And so, yuan xiao made during the New Year symbolizes prosperity and happiness for all family members.
My Peanut Yuan Xiao 花生元宵 and Black Sesame Rice Balls 芝麻湯圓 recipes will show you how to make this essential Chinese New Year dish. You can mix and match the filling, or make them all for greater variety. If you have no time to make the filling, consider using my Chocolate Rice Balls recipe. For this Chinese New Year, get the whole family together and make rice balls for dessert. You know what they say…those who make a mess together, clean together! Maybe that’s just what I say! I’ve simplified all the steps in my recipe to keep the mess at a minimal…so have fun with it!
I just want to share one more thing. I remember a few years ago, my son’s teacher invited me to her class to talk to the kids about Chinese New Year. One boy asked, “if doing all this stuff worked, why would we have to do it every year?” And I replied, “for hope and appreciation”. If you don’t have it yet, you can hope for it and if you have it, you should be thankful for it. The world has changed so much in the last few years that we now have good reason to be hopeful and thankful that we can still hope! Happy Chinese New Year!
For more recipes to make on special occasions, check out my Chinese New Year recipe section or to learn more about Chinese New Year traditions, sayings and etiquettes, check out my Chinese New Year 101.
Peanut Yuan Xiao 花生元宵
Ingredients
Ingredients for filling:
- 50 g Lard (see notes section below)
- 65 g Peanuts
- 40 g Sugar
Ingredients for dough:
- 200 g Glutinous rice flour
- 1 L Water for dipping only
Ingredients for red date soup:
- 10 g Sliced ginger
- 2 c Water
- 15 g Pitted red dates
- 25 g Brown sugar slab aka pian tang (brown sugar will be fine too)
- 10 Sugared lotus seeds 糖蓮子 (optional)
- 2 Sugared lotus root 糖蓮藕 (optional)
Instructions
I added sugared lotus seeds and lotus root to the soup for additional flavour and texture. You can buy them usually during Chinese New Year at Chinese grocery stores.
These rice balls may be stored in the freezer prior to cooking. Do not thaw. Cook from frozen state.
Instructions for filling: this step may be done the day before
- On low heat, toast 65g peanuts until aromatic
- Grind peanuts with 40g sugar until you reach your desired coarseness
- Add 50g lard to a pot or pan, using low heat, melt lard and add peanut mixture. Mix well
- Pour into a wide container to cool.
- Wrap with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to solidify further
- Remove from container
- Form into any size balls
Making some big and some small is traditional to symbolize the young and old in a family - Place balls onto a freezer-safe container, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 60 minutes or until solid. Keep them in the freezer until ready to wrap. Do not thaw.
Instructions:
- Prepare soup for rice balls by adding 2c water, 10g of sliced ginger, 15g pitted red dates (approx. 6) , 25g brown sugar slab (approx. ¼ of a slab), sugared lotus seeds (optional) and sugared lotus root (optional) in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer until ready to use
- Prepare a plate for completed yuan xiao
- Use a mixing bowl that is large enough to submerse a sieve or strainer.
The larger the sieve, the more yuan xiao you can make each time. You can also make them one by one - Fill 2/3 of the mixing bowl with water
- Add approx. 200g of glutinous rice flour to a bowl or a plate with a high lip.
You will use it to roll the yuan xiao around - Take the formed peanut filling balls out of the freezer
- Take one or more filling balls, put into the sieve and dip into the water for 1 second.
You just want to quickly wet it - Then place them into the glutinous rice flour bowl. Use your fingers to help coat each ball, then roll it around the bowl until each ball is completely covered with flour
- Place the balls back into the sieve and dip into the water again for 1 second
Some of the flour may come off - Place the balls back into the flour bowl, roll it around until the flour covers each ball evenly. Repeat this process for 8 additional times. There should be approx. 10 coats of glutinous rice flour for each filling ball.
- When done, place on prepared plate and continue until all the filling has been used
- Boil a pot of water (approx. 1 - 1 ½ L) to cook the rice balls
I don’t cook the balls in the soup because you end up making too much soup and is wasted - When water boils, use a spoon to place the balls into the water. Keep stirring for around 1 minute to prevent balls from sticking to the bottom of the pot. You can put the lid on when the balls are no longer sinking to the bottom
- When the water boils again, add 1 ½ c of water into the pot and cover with a lid
- When the water boils again, turn heat down to medium, cover with lid and let it cook for 2-3 minutes until the balls have evidently increased in size.
- Remove the balls and serve with the red date soup
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