Tang Yuan (Glutinous Rice Balls)

On every Winter Solstice (Dong Zhi in mandarin) which usually falls on Deember 21 or 22 each year, the Chinese community will gather together and make and eat Tang Yuan (Mandarin) or Tong Yuen (Cantonese) which is glutinous rice balls served in a syrup. The roundness of the glutinous balls symbolizes unity and harmony in a family. Hence, this dish/event is widely celebrated. These days, you don’t need to wait till Dong Zhi to eat these delicious Tang Yuans.

I remember when I was younger, mommy said that I’m a year older after eating the Tang Yuans. Recently, I heard that traditionally, you’re supposed to eat Tang Yuans according to your current age, plus one. So if you’re 10 right now, you’ll have to eat 11 Tang Yuans….hence making you an 11 year old after you finish your bowl of Tang Yuans. I’m 28 turning 29…..that means I would have to eat 29 Tang Yuans…….Imagine if you’re 60, 70, or 80! How on earth would one be able to eat that many Tang Yuans without getting a bad case of indigestion??? Hubby suggested to make big round ones…imagine him  eating 30 big round Tang Yuans. I don’t know if he will choke first, puke first or go right into sugar high!

I like my Tang Yuans in sweet ginger syrup. Some of these sweet versions of Tang Yuan will have a red bean paste filling, black sesame paste filling or just sugar. It’s really a personal preference! You could also make them savory by boiling them in a soup along with vegetables and/or meat.

I will make Tang Yuans during Dong Zhi, not that I like getting “old”, but I love this tong sui. And I’ll make them randomly a couple times a year….whenever I have a Tang Yuan craving!

I usually mix cold water to the glutinous rice flour and serve them in a ginger syrup mixture. This year, my mom suggested that I try mixing the dough with boiling water. It apparently gives the dough a slightly more springy texture to the Tang Yuan instead of a gooey one. She told me to serve it in some brown sugar syrup. I took her advice and made it differently this year. It was definitely better. Hubby even commented that the Tang Yuans are nice to chew. Thanks Mom for the tips. Here’s the Tang Yuan recipe based on Mom’s tips.

TANG YUAN (TONG YUEN) RECIPE

Ingredients:

Part A (Dough)

• 1 Cup Glutinous Rice Flour (Plus more if needed)
• 1/2 Cup + 1 Tbsp Hot Boiling Water (Plus more if needed)
• Food Coloring Gel (Optional)

Part B (Syrup)

• 2 Inch Ginger, Cut into 4 slices
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar, Packed
• 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 2-3 Pandan Leaves, Knotted
• 2-1/2 Cup Water

Method:

Bring Part B (Syrup) to boil until sugar melted. Set aside and keep warm. You can adjust sweetness of the syrup by adding more or less sugar and or water. It’s personal preference for this!

In a large bowl, add glutinous rice flour and form a well. Gradually pour in hot water into the “well”, while stirring mixture with a wooden spoon. Stir to combine. When the mixture is not as hot ( and you’re hand is comfortable to the temperature) use your hands to knead the dough. Knead dough until it’s no longer sticking to the bowl or your hands (as shown below). For any reason, If you think you need more water or flour, do so gradually.

At this point, you could roll the dough into a log and pinch them to make smaller balls. I like my Tang Yuans slightly colorful and divided my dough into 3. I added some Pandan paste to one dough and Wilton red food coloring gel to another dough. Dap a little coloring at a time. A little goes a long way. Knead them until all colors are incorporated. Because I’ve introduced some liquid to the dough, I needed more glutinous rice flour to bring the texture back to a non-stick texture. Gradually sprinkle a little glutinous rice flour at a time and continue kneading the dough until it’s no longer “non-stick” again.

When you get the colors you want (the colors will turn slightly darker when cooked), roll each color into a log, before pinching of bits to roll them into a ball. Place the balls on a plate lined with some parchment paper.

 

Bring a pot of water to boil, then drop the Tang Yuans into it. Do not over crowd the pot. The Tang Yuans will float when they are cook. Let them cook another minute or two after they float to make sure everything is cooked through. Strain Tang Yuans and run cold water through.

 

Drop the cooked Tang Yuans into the pot of syrup. Bring syrup to boil with the Tang Yuans for about 1-2 minutes before serving. This should feed about 2 people.

June’s Comments: If you don’t want plain Tang Yuans, you could fill them them Red Bean Paste or Black Sesame Paste or even roll some Black Sesame Seeds onto the dough. Filling the Tang Yuans and rolling them was tough for me. so, I only made 4 Red Bean filled Tang Yuan. =)

Instant Paella!

I fell in love with Paella when I first had it in Barcelona. For the next few days in Barcelona, we managed to get some of this lovely Spanish cuisine for dinner each day!

Paella is basically short grain rice cooked with meat, vegetables and or seafood. Saffron; the world’s most expensive spice (by weight) is used in cooking this delicious rice dish! When in Rome, I came across this package of instant Paella by FIRMA ITALIA for about Euro 2 (I think) and scooped out one packet to try when I got back to the US.

Hubby was (and has been) asking me when I was going to make the instant Paella I bought from Italy. It’s been more than 2 months since I got it and I finally made them last night. Since we had some yummy Sushi buffet for lunch, I decided to cook something simple at home. Instant Paella it is. It wasn’t that instant or cheap after the stuff I added to it. I guess it’s still cheaper than eating out!! =)

The package said it serves 2. But knowing our eating capabilities, I knew right off that it would not be enough for the 2 of us. On top of Saffron (Yes, I added a pinch of Saffron threads to my Paella)…hence making it expensive!! I added a few cut up squid tubes, large shrimp, frozen vegetables and cooked rice (which I added towards the end).

Instruction on the back (in 6-8 different languages) said to cook the Paella for 15 minutes. That wasn’t enough as my rice was still hard. I also had to add more liquid than instructed as the rice was absorbing the liquid away yet still giving me uncooked rice. Perhaps it’s all due to the extra ingredients I added to the Paella!

The result….it’s not bad for an instant Paella. I was expecting the Paella so be a little more fishy, more “seafoody” (if that’s a word at all!) flavor. Definitely not was flavorful coz this is just the plain Paella I guess? But if you’re craving for some quick fix Paella, this is a decent product to have in the pantry!! =) Next time you see this in the store, grab one to try!

Cinnamon Rolls

After having some yummy Cinnamon Rolls at Strouds during my Kansas City trip, I was yearning to have some here at home! Hubby’s cousin said that their complimentary cinnamon rolls (on top of their award winning pan fried chicken) were to-die-for. Indeed it was!!

So of I go Googling for recipes for an easy Cinnamon Roll recipe. Bread and such is something I stay away from baking coz my last few encounter with yeast wasn’t that successful! Yeast is like my kryptonite, I fear it! I fear the result it will give my baked goods! And usually, my baked goods turned out not as soft as it’s supposed to be. Hence, I tend to stay away from yeast whenever I can!! I stick to recipes using baking powder and baking soda instead!

I found the recipe on Food Network; one of my favorite online source for recipes. The Cinnamon Roll recipe is by Paula Deen and have a 5/5 star review from an average of 200 reviewers.

Even though my cinnamon rolls weren’t super soft, it was still delicious. The rolls did not poof up like it’s supposed to per the instructions. Don’t get me wrong, it still poofed, just not quite double its size during the first and second round of letting the dough rest and rise. I blame it on me and my surroundings perhaps. I’m pretty sure I use the right yeast (and still active one) this time. So, the first fault maybe due to the warm water added to the yeast. It maybe the warm water was not warm enough or too warm. Secondly, it was a rather cold day. Hence, cold kitchen = cold baking condition? Therefore the colder temperature maybe have resulted in the slower proofing/rising of the dough. If I have waited more than the suggested time, perhaps the dough would have risen more! =)

I’m sharing the recipe here since the recipe did after all receive pretty good reviews. And there’s a super high chance of user error that my cinnamon rolls weren’t super soft and fluffy. Well, at the very least, it wasn’t hard as rock!! 

CINNAMON ROLLS RECIPE

Ingredients:

Part A (Dough):

• 1/4 Oz Package Yeast
• 1/2 Cup Warm Water
• 1/2 Cup Scalded Milk
• 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 1/3 Cup Butter, Melted
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 1 Large Egg
• 3-1/2 to 4 Cups All-Purpose Flour

Part B (Filling):

• 1/2 Cup Butter, plus more for pan
• 3/4 Cup Sugar, plus more for pan
• 2 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
• 3/4 Cup Raisins, Walnuts, or Pecans, (*Optional)

Part C (Glaze):

• 4 Tbsp Butter
• 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 3 - 6 Tbsp Hot Water

Method:

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread melted butter all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts, pecans, or raisins if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

Meanwhile, mix butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until the glaze reaches desired consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

June’s Comments : As much as I love cinnamon rolls, I’m not a big fan of the sugary white sticky glaze. Therefore, I skipped the whole glazing thing. The rolls was ok soft….but yummy. It was harder the next day, but it wasn’t something a few minutes in the microwave can’t do to soften it!!!

Sightseeing Rome – October 8, 2009

Here are overdue pictures of my maiden trip to Rome, Italy. This is just some pictures taken the first day we arrived in Rome. After resting a bit and checking out the rest of our Bed & Breakfast in Rome, we were off to our Roman adventure!

Some of these pictures are taken, on our way to find the B&B. First picture (Bottom Left) is what we suspect is the official entrance into Vatican City. Then, we came across the famous and ever popular St. Peter’s Square or Piazza San Pietro in Italian (Bottom Right). If you do not know what this is, check out Dan Brown’s book or movie Angels & Demons! =)

And we also passes by St Peter’s Basilica (Bottom Left) which was situated in the St. Peter’s Square, located within Vatican City. This is the biggest Christian church in the world, with the ability to hold 60,000 people inside. We were able to go into the Basilica the next day for a tour.

The following pictures are taken after we checked into the B&B. We walked to the Trastevere which is located south of Vatican City and west bank of the Tiber from the main part of Rome. We were recommended by fellow tourist we met in Florence to look for food in the Trastevere area and so we did!

We walked from our B&B to the Parco Gianicolense (Gianicolense Park) on Monte del Gianicolo. It was a long and tiring walk - up hill! But the view we got once we arrived was rewarding! The view of Rome (Bottom Right)…which was naturally illuminated by the sun (sun set maybe??). This was the first of many scenic views of Rome we were able to enjoy.

 

Across from the scenic viewing area, stood the Monumento a Garibaldi (Bottom Left) in the middle of Piazzale Giuseppe Garibaldi.

One of many fountains we see in Rome (Bottom Right). This one seem no longer in use, though still pretty!

      

On the way down from the Gianicolense Park, we saw a gorgeous grand fountain; Fontana dell' Acqua Paola (Bottom) which was built in the 17th century. This fountain was actually steps away from the Spanish Embassy.

After hanging out in Trasvetere and getting some delicious Italian dinner there, we walked back to the B&B……but not before getting lost and wasting precious time to find our way back! =)

Creamy Bacon & Chicken Pasta

I could have been an Italian in my past life! I love pizza and pasta and would never get sick of it. When we went to Italy (& Spain) in October, it was like food heaven for me; pizza, pasta, gelato! The household will eat pasta at least once a week. I always have a box of linguini, or macaroni or spaghetti in my pantry. Whenever I ran out of idea of what to cook, as long as I have a box of pasta…I’m pretty much all set!!

I love bacon in pasta as it gives the sauce a nice smoky flavor. This recipe here is inspired by a pasta I had at Friday’s years ago.

CREAMY BACON & CHICKEN PASTA RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 10 Oz Uncooked Pasta (Spaghetti, Fettuccini, Linguine, or etc)
• 10 Oz Roasted Chicken, Chopped
• 4 Oz Fresh Mushroom, Sliced
• 4 Pieces Bacon, Cut into 1/2”
• 1 Medium Onion, Chopped
• 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1-1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 cup Chicken Stock
• 1 Tbsp Oil
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• 1-2 Tbsp Chopped Parsley
• Parmesan Cheese (*Optional)

Method:

Boil pasta in seasoned water (oil + salt) till al-dente. Set that aside.

In a large pan, heat oil over medium high heat. Then add bacon and sauté bacon until it starts to shrivel and brown. At this point add onion and garlic. Continue to sauté until onion started to soften. Add roasted chicken and mushroom and stir fry till mushroom starts to wilt. Pour in chicken stock and heavy cream and continue cooking until sauce thickens slightly.

Once sauce starts to thicken, add cooked pasta. Toss pasta well so that it’s thoroughly coated in the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle some chopped parsley and serve with some grated parmesan cheese! This should serve about 3-4 people.

June’s Notes: Make it slightly healthier by adding about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of frozen peas or chopped tomatoes! If you add frozen peas, you could add that in when you pour in the liquid. If you add tomatoes, add that in at the very last; when you sprinkle the parsley!