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Glutinous rice balls in a spoon in the osmanthus sweet soup broth in a blue bowl.
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5 from 3 votes

Glutinous Rice Balls in Osmanthus Sweet Soup

Sticky chewy glutinous rice balls (tang yuan, 汤圆)are served in a warming ginger and osmanthus flower sweet soup with silky swirls of egg. Recipe makes 2 cups of tang yuan. 1 cup for the soup (if you are only serving 4 people) and 1 cup to freeze for later.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Resting time10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: Chinese
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 4 bowls
Calories: 257kcal
Author: HWC Magazine

Ingredients

Glutinous Rice Balls (Tang Yuan)

  • 250 grams glutinous rice flour 2 cups and 4 tablespoons (also known as sweet rice flour) and about 2 tablespoons extra set aside to dust your board to prevent sticking.
  • 100 grams granulated sugar ½ cup
  • ½ cup boiling hot water
  • ½ cup room temperature water

Osmanthus Sweet Soup

  • 4 cups water
  • cup goji berries
    dried also known as wolfberries
  • 2 inch knob ginger peeled and sliced or ½ teaspoon dried ground
  • ½ cup Chinese rice alcohol or a sweet dessert wine like Umeshu.
  • 1 cup glutinous rice balls tang yuan (recipe above)
  • 5 tablespoons honey
    to taste or can substitute sweetener of choice
  • 1 teaspoon Chinese Sweet Osmanthus Flower Tea
  • 1 whole egg
    beaten

Instructions

Glutinous Rice Balls (Tang Yuan)

  • Add the glutinous rice flour, sugar and hot boiling water and mix together. Then add the cool room temperature water and mix. (Adding the boiling water first, starts the cooking process of the dough.)
  • Form into a dough ball. Knead for a couple of minutes. Wrap with plastic and place in the refrigerator for 10 to 30 minutes or until cool.
  • Put a little extra glutinous rice flour on your clean surface to prevent sticking. Cut into 4 sections. Roll each section into a rope about ½ inch in width and then cut into ½ inch sections. Roll into mini balls with your hands.
  • Set the balls on a parchment paper or waxed paper lined plate to prevent sticking. We also sprinkled a little of the glutinous rice flour on the plate too. Cover the balls with a damp tea towel while you are working on the rest of the balls, so they do not dry out.
    If serving 4 people. Reserve 1 cup of the glutinous rice balls for the sweet dessert soup and freeze the rest. (Freezing direction in the recipe notes below.)

Osmanthus Sweet Soup Broth

  • Boil water with goji berries, fresh ginger, fermented Chinese sweet rice alcohol (or Umeshu like we did or sweet alcohol or wine of choice) and honey for 3 to 5 minutes for the ginger flavor to shine through. Adjust to your preferred sweetness level.
  • Add EITHER 1 cup fresh OR frozen glutinous rice balls to the osmanthus sweet soup broth!
    FRESH TANG YUAN: Add the FRESH prepared glutinous rice balls into the soup broth and cook over a medium boil uncovered until they float to the top of the soup – around 3 to 5 minutes. Be sure to stir them so they do not stick together. Then continue to cook for about another 1-2 minutes for the best results.
    FROZEN TANG YUAN: If cooking FROZEN prepared glutinous rice balls, do not unthaw them. Place them frozen directly into the boiling soup broth. Stir them so they do not stick together. You will notice that the soup will stop boiling at first because the cool glutinous rice balls dropped the temperature. Once the soup broth comes up to a rolling bubble, you will add a little cool water (2 tablespoons) to the soup pot. Allow the soup to come to a rolling boil again. Repeat the process a total of 3 times or until the glutinous rice ball dumplings float to the top of the pot. Then, cook at least one minute longer. Cook uncovered. Taste the soup and adjust the sweetness level to your liking.
  • Then, add osmanthus flowers to the soup. Slowly add a beaten egg to the soup broth as if you are making an egg drop soup. Serve and Enjoy!

Video

Notes

How to Store
Cooked Glutinous Rice Balls in Osmanthus Sweet Soup can be stored in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days if covered in the ginger syrup soup. Otherwise, they will dry out and get hard. The soup can be reheated on the stovetop until warm and toasty.
Uncooked Glutinous rice balls can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. After you finish rolling out your tang yuan, place them on a lined baking sheet or plate so they are not touching.  Freeze uncovered for 1 hour, so they do not stick together.  Then, place them in a sealed freezer safe baggie or container.
Why is my dough too dry?
If your tangyuan dough is too dry or cracking, don’t worry. Just add a teaspoon of room temperature water at a time and knead the dough gently until it is soft and pliable. It should be soft and not sticky.
Sometimes, there is a significant difference between weighing and measuring ingredients. We have included both weight and US cup measurements for your convenience, but it is best to weigh. Weighing is most accurate.
Why is my dough too wet?
The glutinous rice flour dough should not be wet or stick to your fingers. Add a teaspoon of glutinous rice flour at a time and gently knead the dough until it is soft and pliable and no longer sticky. Sometimes, if you rest and cool your dough in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap that will firm it up.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 0.04g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 14mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg