Black Sesame Filled Tangyuan
Tangyuan, also known as "tangtuan" or "fuyuanzi," is one of the representative traditional snacks of the Han Chinese ethnicity. Additionall, it is also one of the most distinctive foods associated with the Chinese traditional festival, the Lantern Festival.Its outer skin is made from glutinous rice flour, giving it a chewy and bouncy texture. The skin of tangyuan is sticky yet not mushy, resilient but not hard, offering a sweet and glutinous taste that is delightful. Because of its unique shape and texture, it is deeply loved by everyone.

INGREDIENTS
- 50 grams of black sesame powder
- 180 grams of water-ground glutinous rice flour
DIRECTIONS
Get the ingredients ready.(The picture after it's done)
(1)Place the prepared roasted sesame seeds and sugar into the food processor and pulse until they form a slightly oily and uniform powder.
(2)Crush the roasted peanuts with a food processor into a granular peanut butter, or you can also use commercially available peanut butter directly.
(3)Melt the prepared butter.
Prepare a large bowl, and add the processed black sesame powder, peanut butter, granulated sugar, honey, and melted butter into the bowl. Mix well until everything is combined evenly. Adding butter enhances the flavor of the filling.
Tips:
If you are using homemade, plain peanut butter, you can add salt according to your personal taste. If you are using store-bought peanut butter, it generally doesn't need additional salt.
Place the well-mixed filling onto a sheet of plastic wrap that has been laid out. Use a scraper to mark out a grid pattern, dividing the filling into the desired portions for your production.
Put the prepared filling in the refrigerator to freeze until it is solid. Once frozen, take it out and break the filling into individual portions.
Divide the filling into approximately 10 grams per portion and roughly shape them into balls. After shaping, place the balls back in the refrigerator to continue freezing for later use. This step ensures that the filling remains firm and easy to handle when wrapping it with the glutinous rice dough.
Tips:
Because the filling melts so easily, you will need to continue to put the filling back in the freezer after rolling it to make it harder, this step is mainly to let the filling set.
Prepare the dough: Add boiling water to the glutinous rice flour gradually, as glutinous rice flour has a high water absorption rate. While adding water, continuously stir with a pair of chopsticks to prevent lumps. Once the flour begins to clump together and there is still visible dry flour, you can start to knead it with your hands. This method ensures that the dough is properly hydrated and easy to work with.
Tip:
(1)When making the dough, use boiling water and add it in small increments multiple times. Do not add too much water at once. Using boiling water helps prevent the dough from cracking.
(2) If the glutinous rice flour you are using is not fine enough, you can sift it through a sieve again. This will result in a smoother and more delicate dough when kneaded.
Once the dough has come together, transfer it to a clean work surface and continue to knead until it becomes smooth. At this point, the dough may be a bit sticky. If this happens, simply dust your hands with a little bit of dry flour to make handling the dough easier. This will help prevent the dough from sticking to your hands and allow you to knead it to a smooth texture.
Tip:
During the process of kneading the dough, if it's too wet, add a bit more flour; if it's too dry, add a bit more water. Always work in small increments to achieve the correct consistency.
Shape the kneaded dough into a long log and divide it evenly into 16 small pieces, with each piece weighing approximately 20 grams.
Tip:
After shaping the small dough pieces, cover them with a damp cloth that has been wrung out. This step is essential to prevent the dough from drying out and becoming too hard or cracked. Keeping the dough pieces moist helps maintain their elasticity and makes them easier to work with when wrapping the filling.
In turn, knead the processed small dosage into a smooth dough, while removing the filling from the refrigerator.
Tip:
The filling tends to get soft, so make sure you don't remove it ahead of time.
Take a small dose and use your thumb to rotate the sin a bowl shape.
Tip:
The other small doses still need to be covered with a damp cloth.
Put in the frozen stuffing, turn around to close the mouth, the mouth must be tightly closed,otherwise the stuffing may leak out when cooking.
Tip:
If the wrapping is slow you can take a portion of the filling and continue to freeze the rest, otherwise you won't be able to wrap it once the filling has melted.
The rest of the package in accordance with the above method can be wrapped, wrapped can be directly into the pot to cook. If you are not in a hurry to eat can also be put in the refrigerator to freeze.
Tips:
(1):Once the tangyuan (dumplings) are wrapped, place them on a flat plate lined with plastic wrap. Then, put the plate in the refrigerator to freeze until the tangyuan are firm. After they are frozen solid, transfer them into a freezer-safe bag, seal it, and keep it in the freezer for long-term storage.
(2):When boiling tangyuan, wait for the water to come to a full boil before adding them. Avoid stirring the tangyuan directly with a spoon, as this can cause them to break. Instead, use the spoon to gently stir the water, which will help the tangyuan move around in the pot. This method will prevent the tangyuan from cracking and help them cook evenly.