On glutinous rice balls
Glutinous rice balls, or tangyuan, are a food item with a long history, and one that resonates with all Chinese, regardless of dialect group. It is traditionally enjoyed during Winter Solstice or Dong Zhi, a festival so culturally significant to the Chinese that there is even a proverb stating that it is as important as the New Year - dong zhi da ru nian. Dong Zhi means ‘winter’s extreme’ and refers to the day of the shortest day and the longest night. The celebration of this festival is marked with family gathered around the table, enjoying and sharing warming dishes, in anticipation of the spring that is to come.
The spirit of this day is all about family togetherness, and the main tradition of this day lies in making and eating glutinous rice balls, its roundness of shape being symbolic of unity and reunion. For this reason, tangyuan, known as kueh ee (‘ee’ meaning ‘round’) to the Babas, is traditionally served to the bride and groom at weddings. Its round shape, devoid of any edge, symbolizes the hope that the newlyweds would not harbour grudges against each other, while the stickiness symbolically bind the couple together.
While tangyuan is often eaten with a filling, often black sesame or peanut, kueh ee comes without one. Also, while the former can be the size of a pingpong ball, kueh ee tends to be much smaller due to the Nonyas being particular about the daintiness of their kueh (‘chomel’ in Malay). It is said that another reason why kueh ee were made so small is because it was a traditional practice for one to eat the same number of the rice balls as one’s age. While white tangyuan is more common, kueh ee tends to feature a combination of red and white balls, symbolizing luck and purity respectively.
While often associated with Dong Zhi, these glutinous rice balls also make an appearance on family altars on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month. This day is rumoured to be when the Kitchen God ascends to heaven to report about the happenings of the household that he resides in. Based on this, the Jade emperor would decide to shorten or lengthen a person’s life on earth. To make sure that what escapes the Kitchen God’s mouth will only be sweet words, Chinese communities would offer sticky glutinous rice balls in sweet syrup, with some even plastering a cooked rice ball onto a portrait of the Kitchen God to ensure that the plan is failproof.
In Singapore’s hawker centres, tangyuan is also known as ah balling, meaning ‘mother duck’s eggs’. There are a few explanations for this moniker. Some say that the dumplings resemble white ducks floating on the surface of water when cooked. Others say that the rice balls resemble duck eggs, especially in traditional Teochew households where the balls are not shaped into rounds, but are more oval in shape. While the Teochews and Cantonese tend to serve theirs in a light syrup, the sweet broth comprising tender peanuts has been credited to the Hokkiens. The Hakkas also make a savoury variant with a ground pork filling, dried shrimp and mushrooms, served in a meat broth.
When it comes to filling, orh nee (taro paste) is traditional to the Teochews, as taro is a big part of their food culture, with many families cultivating their own taro. My favourite is the peanut filling - while dedicated hawkers may roast and grind their own peanuts, I find that you can get really good results when using high-quality peanut butter made from 100% peanuts! It just needs a little sugar to sweeten and butter to lend some ooze factor.
Ah Balling with Peanut Soup
(Serves 4, makes 20 ah balling)