Mooncake leftovers: Tong yuen (Chinese sweet dumplings) 月餅餡消耗戰: 湯圓

Another quick and dirty way to use up the mooncake fillings....sweet dumplings!

Tong yuen (or Tāngyuán in Mandarin) is a Chinese dessert made from glutinous rice flour. Glutinous rice flour is mixed with water to form balls and then cooked and served in boiling water. Tangyuan can be either small or large, and filled or unfilled, sweet or savory. It is traditionally eaten during Yuanxiao, or the Lantern Festival.

Chinese sweet dumplings

芝麻湯圓 by Eupho Cafe

:dough:
Glutinous rice flour // 4 cup
Hot water // 220 ml
Cool water // 200 ml

1. Divide the fillings and form into balls. Chill in the refrigerator (or chill the dough first, then shape into balls and send it back to refrigerator again).

2. Divide the ingredients in equal halves to prevent the dough dry out. Mix glutinous rice flour into the 110 ml hot water, use chopsticks to mix until part of the flour becomes dough-like, pour in 100ml cool water to form the dough. Once the temperature decrease and becomes touchable, work the dough with hands. Divide dough into 20g small balls, press the top to create a bowl shape, add in the filling, cover and shape into balls.

3. Boil water in a saucepan, put in sugar (preferably rock sugar or raw sugar) and a small piece of ginger. Slowing add in tong yuen when the water is simmering. Cook for 10 minutes or until tong yuen is soften.

:notes:
1. I always have some tong yuen in the freezer, it's a quick and easy dessert for everyday cooking! My family likes cook together yam, ginger, raw sugar and tong yuen, it's a good way to get warm up :)

湯圓

芝麻湯圓 by Eupho Cafe

:皮料：
糯米粉 // 4 cup
滾水 // 220 ml
冷水 // 200 ml

1. 將餡料分成一個個小團，儘量調整成圓球狀，然後放進冰箱冰硬（也可以冰到略硬時，取出揉圓再冰到變硬）。

2. 為了避免皮變硬，可以將皮的材料分成兩半，先做一半，包好再做另一半。將糯米粉2杯調入滾水110 ml，用筷子攪拌，使部分糯米粉變成團狀，然後加入冷水100 ml攪拌成團，溫度降低後，用手揉成軟麵團。分割每個小團約重20g，輕壓出一個凹槽，填入餡料、收口、搓圓即可。

:notes:
1. 做多一點冰起來也沒關係，湯圓是快靚正的看門口甜品呢！我家喜歡用蕃薯，薑，片糖和湯圓一起煮，吃過後暖笠笠好滋味！(蕃薯下少許就夠了，否則會很滯的！)