Yuanxiao from the Ming Dynasty

Like a Chinese Game of Thrones, the story behind the writing of today's recipe for Yuanxiao (Tangyuan) is worthy of being made into an HBO series all its own.

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LINKS TO INGREDIENTS & EQUIPMENT**
Canon EOS M50 Camera: https://amzn.to/3amjvwu
Canon EF 50mm Lens: https://amzn.to/3iCrkB8
Glutinous Rice Flour: https://amzn.to/3mgOakj
All-Clad Stock Pot: https://amzn.to/33kauAZ

LINKS TO SOURCES**
‪@Amandatastes‬:    • 不出门的元宵节，在家摇一碗明朝就有的玫瑰核桃元宵，香香甜甜Rice dumpling...  
Zhuo Zhong Zhi by Liu Ruoyu: https://bit.ly/3ipgbnp
China: A History by John Keay: https://amzn.to/3mfJvz6
The Potent Eunuch: The Story of Wei Zhongxian by Keith McMahon: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/565253
China Knowledge (Wei Zhongxian): https://bit.ly/2GSj6HA
China Knowledge (Ming Gong Shi): https://bit.ly/3hpb4T3
China Knowledge (Eunuchs): https://bit.ly/3hk9stH

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MENTIONED LINKS
Amanda Tastes:    • 不出门的元宵节，在家摇一碗明朝就有的玫瑰核桃元宵，香香甜甜Rice dumpling...  

DISH NAME
ORIGINAL 1620s RECIPE (From Zhuo Zhong Zhi)
“The cooking method uses glutinous rice that has been ground into a fine powder. The filling comprises the flesh of walnuts and white sugar. Water is sprinkled on the filling and the balls are rolled around in flour to form them. They are as big as walnuts. This is the same as what the people of the Jiangnan region call Tangyuan. ”


MODERN RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
-1 1/4 Cups (140g) Walnuts
½ Cup (100g) Sugar
4 Tablespoons (57g) Melted Lard or Melted Butter
4 Cups (450g) Glutinous Rice Flour
Water

METHOD
1. Toast the walnuts (optional) in a pan over medium heat and let them cool. Then crush them fine, almost to a powder.
2. Mix the crushed walnuts, sugar, and lard/butter and mix until combined. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour or until it is cool.
3. Take the mixture and form it into small balls; about a dozen.
4. Take two large bowls, one filled with water and one with glutinous rice flour. Roll the balls in the glutinous rice flour until covered, then place them in a mesh sieve and dip them in the water. (You can also set them in the water and remove them with a slotted spoon). Then return them to the flour and roll again. Repeat this process 7-10 times, or until no filling can be seen.
5. Boil a large pot of water. Set the balls in the water and boil for 2-3 minutes, or until they float to the top. Note that the balls will expand, so leave plenty of room in the pot. Once the balls have floated to the top, pour a cup of cold water into the pot. This will stop the boiling and allow a skin to form on the balls. Allow the water to reheat to boiling and wait until the balls float again. Then remove and serve immediately.

PHOTO CREDITS
The Lantern Festival 2012: North Sea Dreamer https://bit.ly/3bD1OJI
Sesame Seeds: https://bit.ly/3m61pEk
Ming Uniformed Guard: Mingdynastyavenger https://bit.ly/2RnRcoZ
MUSIC CREDITS
Wuxia2_Guzheng_Pipa by PeriTune | http://peritune.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

Folk Chinese by PeriTune | http://peritune.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
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