Yuan Xiao - the legend, and the recipe
Yuan Xiao, or lantern festival is celebrated on the 15th day of Chinese New year, which is 4 days away from now. Yuan means first and xiao means night in chinese, so Yuan Xiao marks the first full moon of the year. This day has a romantic background to it, when singles seek out their prospective partners and matchmakers busied themselves to pair up eligible matches in the olden days when unmarried girls are not as 'exposed' as nowadays. There are a few legends surrounding its origin, but the most famous is about a Palace maid called 'Yuan Xiao' who was homesick and almost killed herself but were saved by a minister called Dongfang Shuo. This is a beautiful story about filial piety, family reunion and wits of man to overcome difficulties. I like to tell this story to the children on this day. For full story, do check out this link https://chinese-festivalssp.weebly.com/legend-of-yuan....
On Yuan Xiao Festival, people from Southern China eats tangyuan, while people from Northern China prefers to eat yuan xiao, which is similar to tangyuan but has a different preparation method and texture. We tried making yuan xiao with the children this year, for the fun of it and because we are curious how it tastes like. We made black sesame paste balls and roll them in glutinous rice flour, alternating with a soak in water, and had fun!
Unlike tangyuan which is softer and has a more runny filling, yuan xiao is chewier, smoother and has a firm filling. We like the taste and mouthfeel of yuan xiao. Hope you can try out this recipe with or without the children this coming Yuan Xiao Jie!
Black sesame vegan Yuan Xiao Ingredients (makes about 16 balls)
100g black sesame
20g coconut sugar
30g extra virgin coconut oil
200g glutinous rice flour
Method
Toast black sesame seeds in oven, at 140 degrees celcius for about 15 minutes till fragrant. I toast them in a wok with consistent stirring to prevent burning. When a few seeds pop, it is ready. Leave to cool.
Blend toasted black sesame seeds with coconut sugar and oil till it becomes a paste. Roll into small balls, about 10g each.
Put glutinous rice flour into a deep dish. Prepare a bowl of water at the side, with a sieve that can fit into the bowl.
Place the sesame seed balls into the flour and roll to coat with flour. Transfer it to the prepared sieve and immerse in water for a few seconds and return to the flour and roll again.
Repeat the rolling and immersion for about 10 times till a white, snowy ball is formed.
To cook, put the balls into a pot of boiling water and cook for about 15 minutes till they float on water. Serve in ginger pandan syrup or peanut soup. Enjoy!
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