When it comes to eating tangyuan and yuanxiao, the healthier methods are boiling or steaming. It is also recommended to drink the broth in which they are cooked, as the glutinous rice flour contains water-soluble vitamins that ensure normal gastrointestinal motility and digestive gland secretion. Most of these vitamins dissolve into the broth, which is beneficial for the body's normal digestion and absorption.
1. Chengdu Lai Tangyuan: In the early 20th century, Lai Yuanxin, a person from Jianyang, came to Chengdu to sell tangyuan from a shoulder pole. His tangyuan were of high quality and delicious, earning them the name "Lai Tangyuan." This tangyuan is made from high-quality glutinous rice flour mixed with water, kneaded until smooth, and filled with a filling made from sesame seeds, white sugar, and lard. Its characteristics are sweet, fragrant, smooth, and moist, rich but not greasy, and glutinous but not sticky.
2. Sichuan Xinfei Tangyuan: A local snack from Pengshui County, Sichuan. It is made with a glutinous rice flour wrapper, filled with chopped tofu and preserved vegetables that are stir-fried with lard. It is then served with boiled pork heart, pork lung, and various seasonings. When eaten, it is garnished with chopped green onions, minced garlic, Sichuan peppercorn powder, and chili, making it savory and delicious.
3. Changsha Jimei Tangyuan: A famous snack from a restaurant in Changsha with a history of over 60 years. It is named after the two sisters, Jiang, who ran the business early on. It is made by grinding rice (both glutinous and regular) into a slurry to make the flour for the wrapper, and the filling is made from red bean paste, white sugar, and osmanthus. Its color is snow-white, crystal-clear, delicate, and sweet and delicious.
4. Shanghai Leisha Tangyuan: A famous Shanghai snack with a history of over 70 years. It is made by cooking and grinding red azuki beans into a fine paste. The tangyuan are first boiled, then rolled in the azuki bean paste. Its characteristics are its beautiful shape and color, with a pleasant bean aroma.
5. Ningzhou Zhuyou Tangyuan: It uses finely milled glutinous rice flour for the wrapper and a filling of lard, white sugar, and black sesame powder. The tangyuan wrapper is thin and smooth, white as mutton fat, and glossy.
6. Suzhou Wuse Tangyuan: Found at the Wumen Rice Flour Shop in Suzhou. It uses a combination of glutinous and regular rice flour for the wrapper, filled with five different types of filling: fresh meat, rose lard, red bean paste, sesame, and osmanthus lard. These tangyuan offer both sweet and savory flavors and are a beloved Jiangnan (south of the Yangtze River) delicacy.
7. Shandong Zhi Zaoni Tangyuan: First, large red dates are cooked, pitted, and mashed. Pork back fat is membrane-removed, chopped, and crushed. These two ingredients are kneaded with fine white sugar to make the filling. Small tangyuan are then made with water-milled glutinous rice flour and the filling. Sesame seeds are roasted and ground with fine white sugar to make a topping powder. The cooked small tangyuan are rolled in this topping powder before eating, resulting in a texture that is moist, soft, and smooth.