Tangyuan
"Those dough ball things we eat in December" – Vilina
I try explaining to Mom, as the actual name of the dish slips my mind (really, my Cantonese is not great). She's clearly confused and asks if I'm talking about wontons—no, Mom, I know what those are called. And so we bicker back and forth, until I tell her, "It's that stuff we eat, the stuff that you told me I'll choke on if I speak while eating it."
"Oh, you mean tangyuan!" says Mom.
"YES!" I shout with excitement.
Okay, time to crack out your handy dandy time machine—we're going back to 206 B.C.E. It's the Han Dynasty and, really, it's just one big party. Known as the Golden Age in Chinese History, the Han Dynasty takes credit for the silk road, paper, pulleys, and some pretty awesome festivals like Dongzhi.
Literally translated to "extreme of winter," Dongzhi brings together family on the shortest day of the year, or the winter solstice, in celebration of better (longer) days to come—almost like an "it can only get better from here" attitude. Really, the idea comes from the belief in yin and yang. The story goes that during the winter solstice, yin becomes her most powerful self, thus the harsher and shorter day. But once the solstice passes, she cedes her power to yang, who radiates warmth and positivity for the longer days to come.
The biggest celebration of Dongzhi occurs in Southern China, where traditionally families gather to make and eat tangyuan (pronounced tong jyun in Cantonese), which symbolizes reunion and togetherness.
And because Mom grew up in southern China, no matter how tired she was, or how late soccer practice and ballet lessons went, or how much homework we had, Sis and I would always help Mom make tangyuan. It's a tradition that she refused to give up upon immigrating, and thank God, because I think it's pretty awesome that in 2015 we're still celebrating a custom from 206 B.C.E. Sometimes my family can be pretty rad.
So, what the hell is tangyuan?
Glutinous balls of dough typically stuffed with sugar and served in a savory stock. Some families add coloring to the dough for a more festive appearance, but we like things au natural. One large tangyuan is usually served among several smaller ones, but for safety reasons Mom likes to make them all relatively small. Due to the dough's slippery texture, it tends to slide down the throat pretty easily if you're not careful. I was never allowed to talk when eating tangyuan—it was a rare moment of quiet in my childhood. Or maybe it was just Mom's ploy to get me to shut up.
Okay, now that you've had a crash course on the winter solstice, it's time to get your hands dirty and make some real village food.
*IMO, the whole yin and yang philosophy is a bit sexist—I get it, negativity and sadness are every bit as important as positivity and happiness (ie: In and Out), but maybe let's not assign genders to it?
Prep: 45 minutes Cook: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS (FOR 2)
| 2/3 cup glutinous rice flour |
| 1/2 cup lukewarm water |
| 1/2 block brown sugar candy, chopped |
| 3 cups bone stock |
| napa cabbage to taste |
| daikon to taste |
| scallion to taste |
PREPARE
1. One tablespoon at a time, mix the water and flour together, being careful not to add too much water at once. The desired texture should be rubbery. I find a good proportion to be 1/4 cup of water to 1/3 cup of flour.
2. As you add water, knead flour into a large ball.
3. Similar to baking cookies, break off a small portion of the dough and roll into a ball.
4. Using a finger, make a small hole in the dough ball, place a piece of sugar inside, and knead it back together.
5. Repeat until you are out of dough.
6. As you finish prepping the tangyuan, add the daikon to the prepared stock.
COOK
1. Bring a pot of water to boil and carefully place tangyuan one at a time into the pot, leaving each about an inch apart.
2. Tangyuan will be ready when they float to the top of the pot (about 15 minutes). While you wait, add the Napa cabbage to the stock.
EAT
Grab a large bowl, fill it with tangyuan, and top it off with the stock. Sprinkle in scallion, fried shallots, fish sauce, and any other condiments you so desire. If you want to get really fancy, add a few slices of lap yuk and lap cheong. Enjoy and eat responsibly!
