Famous Hong Kong style glutinous rice ball with crushed peanuts—Tang Bu Shuai!
Chinese new year is just on the corner, thus I am testing and making many dishes as the preparation of my Chinese new year menu instead of purchasing various foods. This is one of the most popular desserts, usually prepared as a snack for Chinese New Year. It is quite similar to Tang Yuan or can be considered as Cantonese Tang Yuan. The difference lies in cooking and serving methods.
It has a lovely Chinese name: Tang Bu Shuai, meaning the sugar cannot be separated from the glutinous rice ball and there are two sweet stores about the origin of the name.
The first one is about a Chinese God delivering medicine inside the rice balls to save people additive to drugs. Personally, I love the second one about love. A young man goes to a young lady’s home to make a Chinese proposal, if he is served with this Tang Bu Shuai by the lady’s parents, the lady will marry him and “stick to ” him for the left life. If he is served with a bowl of syrup with shattered eggs and dried bean curd, he understands that there is no change to marry the lady because shattered eggs meaning separating. When I first see the name, a picture about newly in love couples “stick to ” each other.
Make sure the glutinous rice balls float on the surface!
Topped with peanuts, coconut and sesame seeds.
- 1 cup glutinous rice flour
- 1 tablespoon plain rice flour
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water or slightly more to adjust
- 20 g crushed peanuts
- 10 g sesame seeds
- 20 g desiccated coconut
- 1 cup water
- 1 piece brown sugar
- 3 slices of old ginger
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In a large bowl, place glutinous rice flour and rice flour. Add warm water and knead for form dough. Divide the dough into 7-10 portions; roll each portion into round ball.
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Bring some water to boil in a pot and cook all glutinous rice balls until they float on the surface. Stir to prevent them sticking; transfer the balls out.
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Add brown sugar and water in saucepan. Cook until the sugar dissolves into syrup over medium heat. Then low the heat and cook for another one or 2 minutes until the syrup is thickened as preferred.
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Roast or pan fry the peanuts until crispy and then crush.
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Method1: Coat the balls with the syrup directly in the pan and sprinkle with coconut, peanuts and sesame seeds.
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Method 2:Place the sticky balls firstly in serving plate and then pour the syrup over. Add sprinkles.
Would be served as side dish and do not eat too much once.
Hi Elaine,
I am in the middle of making this lovely looking dessert. I have just added the rice flours and was looking at the recipe and noticed your measurement for the brown sugar (for syrup) is incomplete.
i.e 1piece brown Sugar?
Could you let us know what that is please, I was thinking 1 cup but was not sure.
Thanks
Hi Bobbo,
I am sorry that I forgot to take picture of the brown sugar. It is Chinese brown sugar, usually in pieces. We call it “片糖”. That’s the reason why I say you need 1 piece brown sugar. I will measure the weight later and update the recipe. And thanks for your kind feedback and suggestion.
Went with a cup, as you say don’t eat too much but very yummy, family polished them off.Thanks
Thanks for the feedback Robbo. Really glad to know it is liked by your family.
Is there a way to make the result softer? Will using more water, or using more regular rice flour make it softer?
A small amount of water can make the result softer, but not too much.