Sweet rice balls, or Tang Yuan (汤圆), are quite similar to mochi. The dough is made with sticky rice flour to create a soft and gooey texture. It is often filled with a sweet filling, such as peanut, sweet bea, or sesame. Different from mochi, sweet rice balls are boiled and then served in soup. When they are cooked, the rice balls turn very tender. If you use the peanut or black sesame filling, the filling will be runny and have a melty, buttery mouthfeel. Tang Yuan is a traditional Chinese dessert that is often served during the Lantern Festival. But since it is so delicious and frankly quite healthy, we love to enjoy it year-round as a dessert.
Ingredients
The ingredients for sweet rice balls are simple and straightforward. All you need is the rice flour and water for the dough. And black sesame seeds, brown sugar and butter for the filling.
Sticky rice flour
Sticky rice flour is also called glutinous rice flour or sweet rice flour. It is gluten-free even though it has the word “gluten” in its name. You should use the type of flour made with long grain sweet rice such as the Erawan brand. It is quite easy to find at any Asian grocery store. Note: Mochi flour is often made with short grain rice flour and is not suitable for this dish. I’ve never tested it, but I’ve had readers report that the result is a bit off if you use mochi flour to make sweet rice balls. Do not confuse this with regular rice flour, which won’t work in this recipe.
How to make sweet rice balls
Making sweet rice balls is a fun and relaxing process.
Prepare the filling
I highly recommend using a scale to measure the filling if you want your sweet rice balls to be perfectly evenly sized.
Prepare the dough
You should make the dough only after the filling is ready and fully chilled. Compared to regular doughs made with wheat flour, the sweet rice flour dough is fast to put together and easy to handle. Because it doesn’t contain gluten, you will need to use enough water to create a soft dough that is pliable. I personally prefer to make the dough a bit softer, so it’s very easy to wrap the sweet rice balls without cracking them. That’s it!
How to serve sweet rice balls
You should always serve the sweet rice balls in the hot water you boiled them in. The hot water serves two purposes: (1) it keeps the rice balls round without them sticking to each other and (2) it keeps the filling warm and runny. When I eat sweet rice balls, I also drink a bit of the hot water in between to cleanse my palette. I’ve seen that people from different regions and families serve the sweet rice balls in a more complex sweet soup. I found that unnecessary because the rice balls are so delicious by themselves and extra sweetness is not really needed. But feel free to try out different styles and find one that suits you best.
How to store sweet rice balls
Sweet rice balls are perfect for making in advance and serving later. They freeze very well and you can cook them directly without thawing them. Their texture remains the same whether you cook them fresh or frozen.
Afterthought
If you love mochi, you cannot miss these black sesame sweet rice balls. They are quite easy to make, and the runny filling makes them very special. Yes, they do take some time to assemble. But I found the sweet rice flour much easier to handle than regular dumpling wrappers, so the process is more fun. The recipe calls for only 1/4 cup of sugar to make 24 rice balls, which is enough for 6 people. I found it quite amazing that this dessert uses such a small amount of sugar, yet the result is super satisfying. I hope you give this one a try next time when you host a Chinese-themed dinner party. It is the perfect dessert to serve at the end of the meal.
