In the south, they "wrap" tangyuan, while in the north, they "roll" yuanxiao. These are two foods with different methods of preparation and textures.
Tangyuan are made in a way similar to dumplings. The southern method involves first mixing glutinous rice flour with water to form a dough, then preparing the filling ingredients by mixing them together in a large bowl (no need to cut them into small pieces as with yuanxiao). One difference between them is that tangyuan filling has a higher moisture content than yuanxiao. The process of wrapping tangyuan is also like making dumplings, but without a rolling pin. Wet glutinous rice flour is extremely sticky, so one must pinch off a small piece of the dough with their hands and press it into a flat, round shape. A ball of filling is then placed on the rice flour disc using chopsticks (or a thin, bamboo-like tool), and the wrapper is sealed by rotating it with both hands to form a tangyuan. A well-made tangyuan has a smooth, shiny surface.
Example recipe for Black Sesame Tangyuan:
Ingredients: Appropriate amount of glutinous rice, rice, sugar, sesame paste, crushed peach kernels, sesame seeds, and lard.
Method:
1. Mix the glutinous rice and rice (5000g glutinous rice can be mixed with 1000g rice), soak in water for 1-2 days, grind it finely, place it in a cloth bag, hang it to drain, and make flour.
2. Mix sugar, sesame paste, peach kernels, sesame seeds, lard, and flour together to make small square fillings for later use.
3. Add appropriate amount of cold water to the flour and knead. Take a small piece, flatten it, place the prepared filling inside, seal the opening, and roll it into a ball.
4. Bring water to a boil, add the tangyuan. The heat should not be too strong. When the tangyuan float to the surface, wait a moment before removing them.
Yuanxiao are made based on the filling. The northern method of making yuanxiao is both unique and simple. The process is to first prepare the filling, cut it into small pieces, and then place it in a large sieve with glutinous rice flour, shaking it. Water is continuously added during this process so the filling sticks to more and more glutinous rice flour until it reaches the right size. The general process is to mix the filling ingredients, spread the mixture into a large, thin round sheet, let it cool, and then cut it into small cubes smaller than a ping-pong ball. The filling cubes are then put into a machine like a large sieve, glutinous rice flour is poured in, and it is "sifted". As the filling pieces collide and become spherical, the glutinous rice flour also sticks to their surface, forming yuanxiao. The resulting yuanxiao has a very thin layer of glutinous rice flour on the surface, which is dry. When boiled, the glutinous rice flour absorbs water and becomes pasty.
Additionally, the shelf life of the two is different: quick-frozen tangyuan generally have a shelf life of six months, while yuanxiao, because they are made by rolling the filling in flour, have a dry surface that is prone to falling off, giving them a shelf life of only 3 to 5 days.