How to cook regular tangyuan: Add an appropriate amount of water to a pot, bring to a boil, then add the tangyuan. When the tangyuan float, add red bean paste and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, add sugar and osmanthus, and stir well.
Tips:
1. When cooking tangyuan, especially after adding them to the pot, use a spoon to gently push them against the side of the pot to prevent them from breaking.
2. If you are cooking a large batch, be sure to cover the pot with a lid.
3. You can add a little cold water during the cooking process to prevent the center of the tangyuan from remaining uncooked.
Steamed Sweet Potato Tangyuan: Boiled tangyuan can be too sweet and rich? No problem! You can give it a golden outer coating. It's just as soft and chewy, but with more flavor and color. Most importantly, it helps reduce the overly sweet taste of the tangyuan.
Ingredients: 200g sweet potato, 200g tangyuan, appropriate amount of glutinous rice flour and oil.
Steps:
1. Peel the cooked sweet potato.
2. Mash the sweet potato, add glutinous rice flour, and knead into a dough. Pinch off a piece of dough larger than the tangyuan, flatten it, and wrap the tangyuan inside. The thickness can be adjusted to your preference.
3. Brush with a little oil, place in a paper cupcake liner, and steam in a pot with boiling water on high heat for about 10 minutes until cooked through.
4. Take a bite. With its outer layer, the filling is still as generous. It has a wonderfully chewy and delicious texture.
Besides the usual boiling method, yuanxiao (another type of glutinous ball) can also be cooked in new ways that are less sweet. For example, the sound of "Fried Yuanxiao" alone is enough to make your mouth water.
How to cook fried yuanxiao:
Ingredients: 500g fresh store-bought yuanxiao, 1000g cooking oil, a little sugar.
Steps:
1. Use a needle or skewer to poke several holes in the yuanxiao to prevent them from bursting and splashing oil during frying.
2. When the oil in the pot is about 60-70% hot, fry the yuanxiao in two batches. When they turn light yellow, use chopsticks to turn them for even heating. Fry until golden brown, and when small bubbles start to appear on the surface, remove them, drain the oil, and place them on a plate.
3. Sprinkle an appropriate amount of sugar on the fried yuanxiao.