About
“民以食为天” — food is heaven. In China, that’s not a metaphor. It’s a worldview, baked into the rhythm of daily life and etched into every holiday table. And nowhere does that idea shine brighter than in a small, unassuming bowl of Tang Yuan.
Tang Yuan looks simple—soft glutinous rice dumplings floating in a clear, lightly sweet broth—but don’t let the minimalism fool you. This dish is a whole cosmology disguised as dessert. Sticky rice flour beaten into submission, rolled into perfect spheres, sometimes wrapped around black sesame or peanut paste so fragrant it feels like it could chase away winter itself. Sweetness that’s not loud, not showy—just warm enough to remind you you’re human.
This tradition goes back a thousand years, to the Song Dynasty, when the world was smaller and lanterns lit the streets instead of neon. Up in the north, they called it Yuan Xiao; down south, Tang Yuan. Different dialects, same meaning: reunion, wholeness, the fragile hope that the people you love will stay close for just a little longer.
Eat it during the Lantern Festival, the final bow of the New Year celebrations. The moon is full, the streets glow with red lanterns, and families—scattered by work, distance, time—find their way back to one table. Tang Yuan mirrors that moon: round, complete, symbolic of everything we chase and everything we lose along the way.
Samp is meant to be simple and nourishing. Its texture can be adjusted easily: add more water for a looser porridge or simmer longer for a thicker, almost pudding-like consistency. It is one of the closest dishes you can make today to the foods shared at the earliest recorded harvest gatherings in New England.
If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Pinterest – seeing your creations always makes my day. Let's explore international cuisine together!
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INGREDIENTS
For the dough:
2 cups glutinous rice flour
¾ cup warm water
For the filling:
½ cup black sesame seeds (or peanuts)
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp melted butter or lard
For the sweet ginger soup (optional):
4 cups water
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, sliced
¼ cup rock sugar (or regular sugar)
For optional colored dumplings
Add beet juice for pink dumplings
Add green tea powder or matcha for green dumplings
Add butterfly pea juice for purple or blue dumplings
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Instructions
Make the filling:
Toast black sesame seeds (or peanuts) in a dry pan until fragrant.
Blend into a fine powder and mix with sugar and melted butter to form a paste.
Chill the paste in the fridge for about 30 minutes, then roll into small balls.
Prepare the dough:
In a bowl, gradually add warm water to the glutinous rice flour, mixing until a smooth dough forms. It should be soft but not sticky.
Divide the dough into small pieces and flatten each piece into a disk.
Add beet juice to the water mixture if you want pink dumplings, green tea powder if you want green ones.
Wrap the filling:
Place a ball of filling in the center of each dough disk.
Carefully seal and roll into a smooth ball- This works better if you lightly oil your hands.
Cook the Tang Yuan:
Bring a pot of water to a boil and gently drop in the Tang Yuan.
Cook until they float to the surface (about 5 minutes), then let them cook for another 2 minutes.
Make the ginger soup (optional):
Simmer water, ginger slices, and rock sugar for 10-15 minutes.
Serve Tang Yuan in the warm ginger soup.
