Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Homemade Gula Melaka Syrup Rice Balls


The Dōngzhì Festival or Winter Solstice Festival is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Chinese and other East Asians during the Dongzhi solar term (winter solstice) on or around December 22 (according to East Asia time). Sourced by Wikipedia. In 2014, the festival falls on Monday, December 22, coincidence I'm on Annual Leave, I took over mom's job in making and eating of tangyuan (湯圓) or balls of glutinous rice, which symbolize reunion in Chinese culture. Mom is in oversea trip, and it's also last min without planning, and so I make a quick and step simple in making tangyuan (湯圓).

Recipe adapted from Eat Your Heart Out one of the famous food blogger. I skipped some of the procecss, because it's time consuming for me, it's totally unplanned at all.

Preparation time: 25-30 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serving: 4-6

Ingredients as below:

320g - 1 packet of Mini Rainbow Rice Ball
(you get it from any local hypermarket)

300g - 1 packet of Red Bean Paste Mini Gluttonous Rice Ball
(you get it from any local hypermarket)

Simple Ingredients

For the Syrup base:-

1 liter of water
6 Pandan Leaves, knotted
1 Inch Gula Melaka, approx. 50g (palm sugar or Malacca sugar)
2 Inches Old Ginger, sliced and crushed

The making:-
1) Defrost the packet of Mini Rainbow Rice Ball and packet of Red Bean Paste Mini
    Gluttonous Rice Ball, until the room temperature.
2) Rinse and wash Pandan leaves, then tie a knot into it.
3) Rinse and wash Old Ginger, slices into big inches and crushed it.
4) Cut Gula Melaka into half approx. 50g, set aside.

1 Packet of Red Bean Paste Mini Gluttonous Rice Ball

1 Packet of Mini Rainbow Rice Ball

Run rice balls into cool water

5) To make the syrup, bring water to boil.
6) Add Pandan leaves, Gula Melaka and Ginger.
7) Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes slow heat.

Pandan Leaves, Old Ginger, Gula Melaka

8) Bring half a saucepan of water to a boil.
9) Put in a packet of Red Bean Paste Mini Gluttonous Rice Ball,
    cook until rice ball float to the surface.
10) Remove with a slotted spoon and drop into a bowl of cool water,
      so that rice ball won't stick together.
11) Repeat with the rest packet of Mini Rainbow Rice Ball.
12) Drain the cooked rice balls and place in syrup.
13) Simmer into 10 min, let the syrup absorbs into rice balls.
14) Remove from heat, and serve it hot.
15) If you prefer to be cold, keep rice ball into fridge for 1 to 2 hours, serve chilled.

Simmer rice balls into 10 min, let the syrup absorbs into rice balls.

Beautiful Rainbow Rice Balls

Chewy and bouncing Glutinous Rice Balls

Daddy said this year soup base it's different from original base, which I think it's quite unique also. Ginger well combined with Gula Melaka and also good for digestion, My favorite was the Red bean paste not too sweet at all, you can buy any flavors of you own preferences. Perfect while eating during Winter Time. Thanks for Baby Sumo recipe. I scoop a few bowls for chinese prayers too. Happy Winter Solstice everyone.




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