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When it comes to sweet dumplings, my heart will forever belong to Black Sesame Glutinous Rice Balls (AKA Tang Yuan), a delightful Chinese dessert that’s often served for celebratory occasions like Winter Solstice or Chinese New Year.
This addictive dish has been around for over a thousand years, and consists of a nutty black sesame filling encased in a chewy mochi-like wrapper. Dunk those bad boys in a pool of lightly spiced broth and let the tears flow.
So, since sharing is caring and all that, I finally convinced my Chinese chef of a dad to create a simple recipe for Black Sesame Glutinous Rice Balls that is doable for the average home chef, like you or me.
Excited to give it a try and potentially endanger your waistline for the rest of time? Keep scrolling for a simple black sesame glutinous rice ball recipe. I promise it’s almost easier to make than it is to say.
Ingredients You’ll Need for These Black Sesame Glutinous Rice Balls
For the Filling:
- 85g (3oz) black sesame powder
- 80g (6 tbsp) sugar
- 60g (2 oz) melted butter or lard
- 35mL (3 tsp) water
For the Wrapper:
- 240g (1 cup) glutinous rice flour
- 140 mL (4tbsp) boiling water
- 50-60 mL (1.5 – 2 tbsp) room temperature water
For the Broth:
- 3 cups water
- 100g (1/2 cup) sugar
- OPTIONAL: 6 slices of ginger
Tips for Nailing This Black Sesame Tang Yuan
Before we get to the step by step instructions, let’s go over some quick notes and tips, because this dessert can be hard to get right on your first try. Since my dad loves a good shortcut, I’ll also share some quick hacks that will make things much quicker and easier.
Make sure you use glutinous rice flour
First thing’s first: glutinous rice flour is the type you need. Not regular flour. Not cake flour. Not any other kind of flour – it has to be glutinous, and it has to be rice-based.
Why am I being so mean about flour? Well, this recipe doesn’t have too many ingredients, so it’s crucial you get them right. Without glutinous rice flour, you will not achieve the soft and chewy texture of authentic Glutinous Rice Balls (Tang Yuan).
So, be sure to triple check you buy the real deal.
Use Black Sesame Powder to Save a LOT of Time
My dad loves a good shortcut, which is why he uses pre-ground Black Sesame Powder in this recipe.
Most other recipes call for roasting/grinding your own black sesame seeds by hand to achieve optimal results… but if you don’t have time for that, no judgment – the powder yields an equally tasty result.
Here’s the one my dad used in this recipe:
Freeze your filling to make it more workable
The black sesame filling in this recipe tends to get mushy quickly when left at room temperature, so freezing it before assembly will help a lot in ensuring the filling keeps its shape while cooking (so you get glutinous rice balls, and not… glutinous rice blobs).
Keep adjusting until you get the perfect wrapper consistency
Dough is a fickle beast. I’ve complained about this a lot, whether it’s perogy dough or when you’re trying to make your own dumpling wrappers from scratch.
One of the trickiest parts about dough? Different brands of flour can absorb water differently, plus getting precise measurements for liquids is tough, so no one recipe will work for absolutely everyone every time.
That is why I’d recommend going by feel when you’re working with your dough, rather than strictly by numbers.
In fact, you’ll notice in this recipe that we give a range for the amount of water to add to the dough. This is because the exact amount can vary, depending on the brand of flour you choose.
I recommend always starting with adding a small amount of water, then adding a bit more little by little until you get your desired consistency.
The final product should be smooth and easy to work with, like this:
How to Make Black Sesame Glutinous Rice Balls: Step by Step!
While they take a bit of work, these Black Sesame Tang Yuan are well worth the extra effort. Here are the step by step instructions!
1. Prep the filling
In a freezer-safe container, mix all the filling ingredients (black sesame powder, sugar, butter/lard, and water) together.
Keep mixing until it becomes a nice smooth paste, then place it in the freezer for later use.
2. Prep the glutinous rice ball wrapper
In a large bowl, combine your boiling water and glutinous rice flour. Mix it with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds (or chopsticks if you’re like my dad!) before adding your room temperature water.
NOTE: Different brands of flour absorb water differently, so add 40mL first, and start kneading. If it’s still too dry, then add additional water little by little until you get a smooth dough, or some extra glutinous rice flour if the dough is too wet.
Let your dough rest to the side for ten minutes or longer.
3. Prepare the black sesame filling for assembly
Remove your filling from the freezer.
Divide your filling it into pieces that weigh roughly 10g each.
With your palms, roll these pieces into small balls, and return them to the fridge, because they may melt or become too soft when left at room temperature.
4. Prepare the glutinous rice ball dough for assembly
Divide your wrapper dough into 18g pieces. To do this, you can divide your dough in half, then roll each half out into a thin rope, and cut it up into equal sections.
5. Assemble the glutinous rice balls!
Alright, now let’s get that filling out of the fridge/freezer and its time to wrap.
To assemble each glutinous rice ball, follow these steps:
- Roll each piece of wrapper dough into a sphere
- Push your thumb into the sphere to create a large indent
- Fill the hole with a ball of sesame filling
- Seal it shut by pinching the dough over the sesame filling, making sure it’s all covered
- Roll the ball between your palms to make it perfectly spherical again
NOTE: Take care to rub off any residual black sesame filling on your fingers by pressing them into the dough while making your indent. This will help ensure your wrapper stays clean and white!
6. Cook your glutinous rice balls
To cook your Tang Yuan, bring three cups of water to a boil, then add 1/2 cup of cold water. Why this two step process? According to my dad, this helps cool down the water to an ideal temperature so that the Glutinous Rice Balls don’t explode.
The broth is always nicer when it’s sweeter, so add 100g of sugar to the broth, or as much as you like.
Then add in your Tang Yuan.
As they cook, add in your slices of ginger (if using).
When the Glutinous Rice Balls float to the top, they’re ready to eat!
7. Serve
Remove the Glutinous Rice Balls with a slotted spoon, and serve them in a bowl with a few scoops of your sweet ginger broth.
Slurp’s up, my friends.
Easy Black Sesame Glutinous Rice Balls (Tang Yuan)
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 85g (3oz) black sesame powder
- 80g (6 tbsp) sugar
- 60g (2 oz) melted butter or lard
- 35mL (3 tsp) water
For the Dough Wrapper:
- 240g (1 cup) glutinous rice flour
- 140 mL (4tbsp) boiling water
- 50-60 mL (1.5 - 2 tbsp) room temperature water
For the Broth:
- 3 cups water
- 100g (1/2 cup) sugar
- OPTIONAL: 6 slices of ginger
Instructions
1. Prep the filling
In a freezer-safe container, mix all the filling ingredients (black sesame powder, sugar, butter/lard, and water) together.
Keep mixing until it becomes a nice smooth paste, then place it in the freezer for later use.
2. Prep the glutinous rice ball wrapper
In a large bowl, combine your boiling water and glutinous rice flour. Mix it with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds (or chopsticks if you're like my dad!) before adding your room temperature water.
Let your dough rest to the side for ten minutes or longer.
3. Prepare the black sesame filling for assembly
Remove your filling from the freezer.
Divide your filling it into pieces that weigh roughly 10g each.
With your palms, roll these pieces into small balls, and return them to the fridge, because they may melt or become too soft when left at room temperature.
4. Prepare the glutinous rice ball dough for assembly
Divide your wrapper dough into 18g pieces. To do this, you can divide your dough in half, then roll each half out into a thin rope, and cut it up into equal sections.
5. Assemble the glutinous rice balls!
Alright, now let's get that filling out of the fridge/freezer and its time to wrap.
To assemble each glutinous rice ball, follow these steps:
- Roll each piece of wrapper dough into a sphere
- Push your thumb into the sphere to create a large indent
- Fill the hole with a ball of sesame filling
- Seal it shut by pinching the dough over the sesame filling, making sure it's all covered
- Roll the ball between your palms to make it perfectly spherical again
6. Cook your glutinous rice balls
To cook your Tang Yuan, bring three cups of water to a boil, then add 1/2 cup of cold water. Why this two step process? According to my dad, this helps cool down the water to an ideal temperature so that the Glutinous Rice Balls don’t explode.
The broth is always nicer when it's sweeter, so add 100g of sugar to the broth, or as much as you like.
Then add in your Glutinous Rice Balls.
As they cook, add in your slices of ginger (if using).
When the Glutinous Rice Balls float to the top, they’re ready to eat!
7. Serve & Enjoy
Remove the Glutinous Rice Balls with a slotted spoon, and serve them in a bowl with a few scoops of your sweet ginger broth.
We Hope You Enjoy This Black Sesame Glutinous Rice Ball Recipe!
What. a. mouthful. In more ways than one.
Let me know in the comments if you have any questions, or be sure to let us know if you’ve tested the recipe out. We’re always looking to improve our recipes and make sure they taste great for everyone.