Go Back
–+ servings
Print
White dumplings (tāng yuán) in a clear broth with sweet potato and ginger.

Black Sesame Coconut Tāng Yuán

Tāng yuán, sweet and chewy rice dumplings, are the perfect cozy winter dessert.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword coconut, dairy-free, egg-free, ginger, gluten-free, nut-free, peanuts, sesame seeds, soup, sweet potatoes, tang yuan, tong yuen, vegan, vegetarian
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 176 kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups glutinous rice flour scant
  • ½ cup + 2 tablespoons boiling water
  • 5 tablespoons brown sugar
  • ¼ cup roasted peanuts chopped
  • 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
  • ¼ cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 medium sweet potato peeled and cut into ¼” thick half moons
  • ½" knob ginger peeled and thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, mix the glutinous rice flour and the boiling water; it will still look dry and crumbly, but that’s okay. Knead the dough until a smooth mass forms; it should no longer be tacky when done, and have the consistency of modeling clay. Cover with a damp cloth.

  2. In a small bowl, mix together 3 tablespoons brown sugar, the peanuts, sesame and coconut.

  3. Taking a slightly smaller than ping pong ball sized piece of dough (and making sure the rest of the dough stays covered so it doesn’t dry out), roll into a ball and form into a little bowl in the palm of your hand. Spoon ½ a small spoon’s worth of sugar/peanut/sesame/coconut mixture into the middle. Gather the edges of the tāng yuán together (I find it easiest to either gather all the edges in the middle so it looks like a síu lùhng bāau, or to fold it in half into a half moon shape) and seal so that no filling will leak out when you boil these. Roll into a ball again; you can be pretty aggressive here, and the ball does not need to be perfectly smooth and round when you’re done.

  4. In a medium pot over high heat, bring the 4 cups of water, potato, ginger and 2 tablespoons brown sugar to a boil. Cook until the sweet potato until fork tender, 5-10 minutes. Add the tāng yuán, and give everything a stir so the tāng yuán doesn’t stick together. Cook the tāng yuán until they float to the top of the soup, 3-5 minutes.

  5. Divide the tāng yuán, soup, sweet potato and ginger into 4 bowls and serve hot.