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Soft and chewy glutinous rice balls (tang yuan) are filled with sweet red bean paste served in brown sugar ginger broth and dried osmanthus flowers.
Red bean paste sure is one quintessential ingredient in Asia, epecially in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Its application is more often seen in sweets/dessert, bread, steamed buns, cakes, cookie, pastries, pancakes, dumplings, etc. Let’s just say, a lot of things! Another popular filling for tang yuan is sweet red bean paste.
How to make sweet red bean paste tang yuan
1. Prepare the sweet ginger broth
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add ginger, screwpine leaves, and sugar. Bring it back to a boil and then lower the heat to let it simmer for about 30 minutes. Have a taste and add more sugar if you like
2. Prepare the dough
Place the flour and icing sugar in a large mixing bowl. Stir to mix. Start with 100 ml of hot boiling water (make sure it’s really hot) and stir with a spoon and when it’s not too hot anymore, knead with your hands until you get a non-sticky dough that is soft and pliable. If it’s too dry, add a bit more warm water, it shouldn’t be too wet that it sticks to your hands or bowl but it should be a smooth and stretchy dough
3. Shape and fill the dough
Bring a large pot of water to a boil to cook the tang yuan. Divide the dough into 30 portions. Work with 1 dough at a time and keeping the rest covered with plastic wrap or a damp cloth. Take one dough and make an indentation in the middle and stretch to form a bowl. 
4. Fill the dough with the red bean paste filling . Gather the side of the dough and enclose it and roll them in between your palms to make it round. Make sure you seal the tang yuan nicely or the filling will leak out when you cook them. If the dough gets dry, dab with some water and then gently roll it smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and continue with the rest
5. When water comes to a rolling boil, add the tang yuan and cook until they float to the top and let them cook for another minute. Use a slotted spoon to remove them and submerge them in a large bowl of water to prevent sticking. The water doesn’t need to be ice cold. I just use regular room temperature water
6. Portion out the cooked tang yuan into serving bowls and ladle the sweet soup over it, add some dried osmanthus flower if you like and serve immediately. Tang yuan can be served warm or at room temperature
How to store leftovers
These are best served on the same day. If you do have leftovers, simply keep them in the fridge for 2-3 days. They hardened when the temperature is cold. Simply reheat on the stove until heated through or in the microwave in a 10-second increment until heated through.
Did you make this red bean paste tang yuan recipe?
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You may also like this red bean soup tang yuan
Sweet Red Bean Paste Tang Yuan
Ingredients
Dough:
- 200 gr glutinous rice flour
- 40 gr icing sugar
- 120 ml boiling water
Red bean paste filling:
- 300 gr red bean paste store-bought or homemade
Brown sugar ginger broth:
- 4 cups water
- 50 gr ginger you can skip if you don't like ginger
- 100 gr brown sugar or use muscovado or coconut sugar for unrefined sugar
- 3 pandan leaves knotted
Instructions
Prepare the brown sugar ginger broth:
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add ginger, screwpine leaves, and sugar. Bring it back to a boil and then lower the heat to let it simmer for about 30 minutes. Have a taste and add more sugar if you like
Prepare the dough:
- Place the flour and icing sugar in a large mixing bowl. Stir to mix. Start with 100 ml of hot boiling water (make sure it's really hot) and stir with a spoon and when it's not too hot anymore, knead with your hands until you get a non-sticky dough that is soft and pliable. If it's too dry, add a bit more warm water, it shouldn't be too wet that it sticks to your hands or bowl but it should be a smooth and stretchy dough
Shape and fill the dough:
- Portion the red bean paste into 30 portions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil to cook the tang yuan. Divide the dough into 30 portions. Work with 1 dough at a time and keeping the rest covered with plastic wrap or a damp cloth. Take one dough and make an indentation in the middle and stretch to form a bowl. Fill the dough with the red bean paste filling . Gather the side of the dough and enclose it and roll them in between your palms to make it round. Make sure you seal the tang yuan nicely or the filling will leak out when you cook them. If the dough gets dry, dab with some water and then gently roll it smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and continue with the rest
Cook the tang yuan:
- When water comes to a rolling boil, add the tang yuan and cook until they float to the top and let them cook for another minute. Use a slotted spoon to remove them and submerge them in a large bowl of water to prevent sticking. The water doesn't need to be ice cold. I just use regular room temperature water
To serve:
- Portion out the cooked tang yuan into serving bowls and ladle the sweet soup over it and serve immediately. Tang yuan can be served warm or at room temperature