Tang Yuan

By Genevieve Ko

Updated Feb. 29, 2024

Tang Yuan
Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(341)
Notes
Read community notes

This Chinese dessert is a favorite for Lunar New Year, or really, any time. Rice flour rounds filled with black sesame are simmered in sweet ginger soup until bobbing and shiny like pearls. When you scoop a dumpling with a spoonful of soup, then take a bite, you first taste the subtly sweet wrapper, which yields like nougat to the soft, toasty, nutty center. Be sure to refill the spoon with soup before the second bite, because you want the ginger’s warmth to play sharp against the rich filling. Making tang yuan is as fun as eating them and nearly as easy. Soft and forgiving, the glutinous rice flour dough is simple to form and patch, no rolling pin needed.

Featured in: The Best Part of From-Scratch Dumplings May Be Making Them

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings (about 24 dumplings)

    For the Soup

    • 1(2-inch) piece/65 grams fresh ginger, scrubbed and cut into ¼-inch slices
    • ¾cup/155 grams rock sugar or ½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar

    For the Filling

    • ½cup/70 grams roasted black sesame seeds (see Tip)
    • 3tablespoons/40 grams granulated sugar, plus more if desired
    • 3tablespoons/50 grams creamy peanut butter or unsalted butter

    For the Dough

    • 1¼cups/175 grams glutinous rice flour, plus more as needed (see Notes)
    • 4teaspoons grapeseed oil or other neutral oil
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

384 calories; 14 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 62 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 34 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 4 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the soup: Combine the ginger and sugar in a large saucepan with 6 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then turn the heat to the lowest setting. Let steep until ready to cook.

  2. Step 2

    Make the filling: Process the sesame seeds in a food processor until very finely ground. Add the sugar and pulse until the mixture is as fine as sand, then pulse in the peanut butter until the mixture forms a smooth mass. Taste and add more sugar if you’d like, then pulse to incorporate.

  3. Step 3

    Using a measuring teaspoon, scoop and pack a flat spoonful of the sesame seed mixture, then push it out of the spoon onto a rimmed baking sheet using your fingertip. Repeat with the remaining mixture and note how many pieces you get. (It should be around 24.) Press and gently squeeze each spoonful into a ball. Transfer to the freezer to firm up.

  4. Step 4

    Make the dough: Place the flour in a medium bowl and set the bowl on a damp kitchen towel so it won’t slip. Bring ⅔ cup water to a boil in a small saucepan on the stovetop or in a heatproof liquid measuring cup in the microwave. Add the oil to the water, then pour the mixture into the flour in a slow, steady stream while stirring with chopsticks or a fork. Continue stirring until the liquid is incorporated. The mixture should look like floury pebbles. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let stand 5 minutes to cool.

  5. Step 5

    Squeeze and gather the pebbles into a ball in the bowl. Roll onto a clean work surface and knead, flouring the dough and surface if the dough sticks, until very smooth and room temperature, 3 to 5 minutes. The dough should feel supple. Roll into a snake 1 inch in diameter and cut into the number of dough filling balls you have, dividing evenly.

  6. Step 6

    Take the filling balls out of the freezer. Roll a piece of dough into a ball, then press the edges with your fingertips to form a 2½-inch round with a dime-size belly of thicker dough in the middle. Center a filling ball in the dough, then gather the sides around it to enclose. Pinch the seams shut and gently roll into a smooth ball. Repeat with the remaining filling and dough. (The dumplings can be frozen on a baking sheet until firm, then stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Cook directly from the freezer.)

  7. Step 7

    Bring the ginger soup to a simmer over medium heat. Add the dumplings one at a time, then simmer gently until the balls float, the dough is a little translucent and the filling is steaming hot, about 10 minutes. Divide the dumplings and soup among bowls and serve hot. (The ginger isn’t meant to be eaten.)

Tips
  • If you’re starting with raw black sesame seeds, toast them in a skillet set over medium heat, swirling the pan continuously, until the seeds are aromatic and start to crackle and pop, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately transfer to the food processor and proceed as above.
  • If you can’t find glutinous rice flour, you can use sweet rice flour (such as Mochiko brand), but the dough may be stickier and require flour while kneading and shaping. The dumplings will end up chewier and not as tender after cooking.

Ratings

4 out of 5
341 user ratings
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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Prakash Nadkarni

You can certainly use tahini: the Soom brand (from Israel) has a good reputation. Alternatively, if you don't mind "crunchy" (as opposed to "creamy") tahini, you can make your own tahini by purchasing sesame seed in bulk from an Indian store, toasting it with a little oil until just fragrant (be vigilant- it can burn very quickly), and then process it into a paste in a dry grinder.

Chat

It's my first dumpling and it was a success! Tips are as follows: - It took me 2.5 hours, not 1 hour (with toasting of sesame seed included) - Keep a lot of flour on hand - I put a metal lid in the same size as the suggested circle as a visual guide nearby - Instead of shaping in my palm, i shaped it on the table. It helped prevent holes - My dumplings floated up a little earlier than expected (less than 5 mins)

Amy

I used a piping bag without a tip to make the sesame filling balls. (I cut a half-inch hole in the bag.) I put them in the fridge to cool before delicately rolling them into little balls to freeze them. For the rice wrappers, I rolled the pieces into balls and pressed them flat on the table with my palm between layers of parchment paper. It was much faster and didn't stick to my hands while working with them. Take the sesame balls out of the freezer in small batches to avoid melting.

M

Yes, they do! Put on a tray, making sure they do not touch and freeze them completely. Then transfer to an airtight container (preferably bag) and squeeze out as much air as possible. Only pull out the amount you want at any time and cook without defrosting.

cynabee

Lol, this was a disaster! My wrappers were too thin and I think the soup simmering too robustly - dumplings disintegrated but made a tasty, albeit gross looking, toasted sesame ginger gloopy soup.

Bay

Yum! My family loved this. The dough was gettin dry and I had to add more water after I cut it into small pieces. I’d love to know how to get the right amount of moisture into the dough the first time I mix it. I used a coffee grinder to grind sesame seeds and sugar into a paste (half at a time) and mixed in peanut butter afterwards. This worked well for me.

germaine

i made this for the first time today! Much easier than expected. I used some strained pandan water to mix with the rice flour, so my dumplings were tinted a pretty green color. I added crushed peanuts into the sesame mix. I found the rice mixture started to dry out as I worked with it, so I would dip my hands into water before shaping each dumpling. These took about 6 minutes to float to the surface; very delicious.

DanG

These tasted really good but most of my dumplings ended up with little tears in the dough. I’m sure it could be due to a lot of things (dough consistency, ratio of filling to wrapper, etc.) but I’m pretty sure this was due to my technique ... errr ... lack of technique, for wrapping. Any hints on how to avoid holes / tears during the final wrapping and shaping?

Ellen

Made this delicious dessert tonight and my main tip is to wear disposable food service gloves when dealing with the dough, which is quite sticky. I cut the sugar for the ginger syrup by 40% which was still sweet but not too much for me. Part of the batch we used tahini due to a peanut allergy as others suggested; both peanut butter and tahini were great. Next time I may make the inside to be 3/4 tsp instead of full because I love the dough so much. Great recipe, thank you Genevieve Ko & NYT!

Yuki

We have always used mochiko brand flour. No need to use boiling water or oil, just use room temperature water.

Lucy

Excellent recipe. Only recipe I have found that does not call for lard or coconut oil. The peanut butter worked great and it is a staple found easily in most kitchens.

Natasha

This was time consuming to make, 2 hours from beginning to end, although I did make the sesame filling from scratch. I used soom tahini instead of peanut butter. I used the same amount of flour as the recipe using the glutinous rice flour in the Thai green bag. I cooked the balls for 5 minutes. Ten minutes would have been overkill. What a perfect dessert to make for Chinese New Year!

Casey

Thanks so much for this recipe, I can’t wait to try it! Do these freeze well? Any tips for preventing cracking when freezing?

jill

Is it possible to use tahini instead of peanut butter or butter?

Dough Consistency

We make these a few weeks ahead of time and freeze. Here in Denver where we are drier, I add 2T oil to the flour and make sure it's mixed through. Then add boiling water and let sit. It makes for a nice supple dough, very easy to work with if done quickly. We also make the ball mixture and let freeze overnight or longer, which helps as it stays frozen when working with the dough. We then freeze the dough wrapped balls and cook in soup. It takes about 10 minutes with frozen balls.

shannon

Can these dumplings be made, placed in individual serving bowls and then served a few hours later? Asking because this will be part of a buffet.

Maxine

First time making this. Got thumbs up from family. I enjoyed them too and I don’t normally like Tang Yuans! Thank you

Sandy

After filling the rice flour balls, I boiled them in a separate pot. Then transferred over to the sweet soup with a slotted spoon. That way if any balls broke, it broke in the plain hot water pot.

kel

I made it just as written and the soup with tang yuan was delicious. Thank you for the recipe.

germaine

i made this for the first time today! Much easier than expected. I used some strained pandan water to mix with the rice flour, so my dumplings were tinted a pretty green color. I added crushed peanuts into the sesame mix. I found the rice mixture started to dry out as I worked with it, so I would dip my hands into water before shaping each dumpling. These took about 6 minutes to float to the surface; very delicious.

Yuki

We have always used mochiko brand flour. No need to use boiling water or oil, just use room temperature water.

Lauren

I have lots and lots of sesame seeds on hand, but not black. Will it be very different (other than visually) to use regular sesame seeds?

Amy

I used a piping bag without a tip to make the sesame filling balls. (I cut a half-inch hole in the bag.) I put them in the fridge to cool before delicately rolling them into little balls to freeze them. For the rice wrappers, I rolled the pieces into balls and pressed them flat on the table with my palm between layers of parchment paper. It was much faster and didn't stick to my hands while working with them. Take the sesame balls out of the freezer in small batches to avoid melting.

Audrey

I really, really loved this! It took only 45 minutes, and the results were beautiful. I'm thinking of making it again for a party.

cynabee

Lol, this was a disaster! My wrappers were too thin and I think the soup simmering too robustly - dumplings disintegrated but made a tasty, albeit gross looking, toasted sesame ginger gloopy soup.

DanG

These tasted really good but most of my dumplings ended up with little tears in the dough. I’m sure it could be due to a lot of things (dough consistency, ratio of filling to wrapper, etc.) but I’m pretty sure this was due to my technique ... errr ... lack of technique, for wrapping. Any hints on how to avoid holes / tears during the final wrapping and shaping?

Ellen

Made this delicious dessert tonight and my main tip is to wear disposable food service gloves when dealing with the dough, which is quite sticky. I cut the sugar for the ginger syrup by 40% which was still sweet but not too much for me. Part of the batch we used tahini due to a peanut allergy as others suggested; both peanut butter and tahini were great. Next time I may make the inside to be 3/4 tsp instead of full because I love the dough so much. Great recipe, thank you Genevieve Ko & NYT!

KYS

Used tahini to accommodate a peanut allergy. Next time will add more sugar to make up for the sweetness lost from skipping peanut butter.

Natasha

This was time consuming to make, 2 hours from beginning to end, although I did make the sesame filling from scratch. I used soom tahini instead of peanut butter. I used the same amount of flour as the recipe using the glutinous rice flour in the Thai green bag. I cooked the balls for 5 minutes. Ten minutes would have been overkill. What a perfect dessert to make for Chinese New Year!

Sam

I was thinking of trying this out and wanted to see how that four came out, so Thanks!

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