Peanut Tang Yuan (Glutinous Rice Balls)
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Peanut Tang Yuan is a classic Chinese dessert consisting of soft, chewy glutinous rice balls filled with peanut filling and served in fragrant ginger soup.
Tang yuan or glutinous rice balls is often enjoyed during celebrations like Winter Solstice, New Year, and Lantern Festival. This dessert is eaten during this time because of its auspicious meaning. The roundness of tang yuan symbolizes completeness and reunion. It represents family reunion, unity, and togetherness.
Last year, I made Black Sesame Tang Yuan, the most classic version. This year, I decided to attempt Peanut Tang Yuan. The glutinous rice balls are filled with toasted sweet peanut filling. The recipe is very easy to make and they are dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan. You can make them in advance and keep them frozen to cook them whenever you feel like having them.
The sweetened ginger soup is my favorite way to eat these glutinous rice balls. You can use white or brown sugar for the soup, but I prefer to mix it with some brown sugar for its deep flavor with caramel and toffee notes. The mild-sweet gingery soup adds warmth and compliments the peanut filling well. It makes this dessert so comforting, especially in cold weather.
Ingredients You Need
Peanut Filling
- Peanuts. Use skinless peanuts. Toast them to make them nuttier. To toast them, you can put them in a frying pan over small heat and stir constantly until they become golden brown. Remove the skins if there is only.
- Castor sugar. To sweeten the filling.
- Salt. To balance the sweetness.
- Vegetable oil. The oil holds the filling together so we can roll them into balls.
Glutinous Rice Balls
- Glutinous rice flour. Or also known as sweet rice flour. This gives the balls that soft and chewy consistency. It is gluten-free even though it has the word “gluten” in its name. It is quite easy to find at any Asian grocery store. Do not confuse this with regular rice flour, which won’t work in this recipe.
- Warm water. Make sure you use warm, not hot water. Hot water can cook your glutinous rice flour, causing it to get sticky when forming the dough.
Sweet Ginger Soup
- Sugar. You can use any kind of sugar. White sugar, brown sugar, and rock sugar are the most commonly used for the soup.
- Ginger. Adds warmth to the soup. Simmer in the soup for 5 minutes if you prefer a light ginger taste or longer if you like it stronger gingery taste.
- Pandan leaves. To add a delicate fragrant aroma and taste to the soup. You can skip them if you don’t have them.
Why Does Peanut Tang Yuan Burst Out When Cooked?
- The skin is too thin. Make sure the skin is quite thick enough and uniform surrounding the filling.
- The filling hasn’t fully been enclosed. The filling will leak when being boiled.
- Cooked for too long. This causes the glutinous rice balls to get too soft.
Storage
Cooked glutinous rice balls are best served right after they have been boiled. If there are any leftovers, just store them in the sweet ginger soup or fresh water in the fridge for up to 2 days. The balls will harden when cold and must be reheated on the stove to soften.
For longer storage, you can freeze the uncooked glutinous rice balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat, not touching each other. Put them in the freezer for 1 hour and then transfer to a freezer bag. They will last for up to 6 months. When you are ready to eat, do not thaw and immediately cook them in hot boiling water until they float up.
More Chinese Dessert Recipes
- Cookie Crust Mooncakes
- Black Sesame Cookies
- Cashew Cookies
- Honey Pistachio Mooncakes
- Taiwanese Pineapple Cakes
Ingredients
Peanut Filling
- 3/4 cup (100 gr) raw peanuts, skinless
- 3 tbsp (30 gr) castor sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Sweet Ginger Soup
- 4 cups (1 litre) water
- 4 inch (50 gr) ginger, peeled, sliced
- 4 pandan leaves, knotted, optional
- 2 tbsp (25 gr) brown sugar
- 6 tbsp (75 gr) granulated/castor sugar
Glutinous Rice Balls
- 1 1/4 cups (150 gr) glutinous rice flour, more for dusting
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) warm water, more or less
Instructions
Peanut Filling
- Spread peanuts on a frying pan and heat over low-medium heat. Stir constantly for even cooking and toast until they are golden brown. Remove from heat and cool completely before using them.
- Add the cooled toasted peanuts to a food processor. Pulse a couple of times until the peanuts turn into a fine powder. Don't overgrind the peanuts or they will turn into peanut butter.
- In a medium bowl, add the peanut powder, castor sugar, salt, and vegetable oil. Mix until combined.
- Keep the filling in the refrigerator until firm enough to handle and ready to use.
Sweet Ginger Soup
- In a large pot, add water, ginger, and pandan leaves. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-30 minutes. The longer you simmer the soup, the more gingery and fragrant it is.
- Add brown sugar and granulated sugar. Stir to let the sugar dissolve. Turn off the heat.
- Discard the pandan leaves and ginger slices.
Glutinous Rice Balls
- In a large bowl, add glutinous rice flour. Add warm water little by little and mix with each addition. The dough will look dry at this time, but don't be tempted to add more water. Knead the dough until smooth and pliable. If it is too dry, you can add a bit more warm water. It should not be too wet either or it will not hold its shape.
Assemble
- Dust your work surface with a little bit of glutinous rice flour. Transfer the dough onto the work surface. Divide the dough into 2 evenly. Return 1 dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or damp towel when not using. Shape another dough into a log. Cut and divide into 12 even pieces. Shape into balls. Cover the balls with plastic wrap to prevent them drying out.
- Take one ball and make an indentation in the middle with your thumb to form a small bowl. Add the 1 tsp peanut filling to the center. Slowly stretch the side of the dough over the filling. Pinch to seal and roll the ball with your palms until smooth and round. Place the ball onto a tray that has been dusted with a little bit of glutinous rice flour. Cover the tray with plastic wrap. Repeat until 24 balls are made.
- Once you have shaped the balls, you can freeze them and cook them later. Or you can cook them immediately.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the balls and cook until they float to the top.
- Transfer the balls to the sweet ginger soup. Tang yuan can be served warm or at room temperature.
