Mom and Dad make "yuan zi", stick-to-your-ribs sticky rice dumplings, for the longest night of the year.
Using hot water makes the yuan zi chewy. It's too hot for Mom so Dad does the kneeding.
Mom takes the dough and rolls them into little dumplings. I used to "help" with this part when I was a kid. 
The key is to make them all about the same size so they all cook properly. She can do multiple dumplings at once.
Shredded daikon (white carrot) and green onion are only parts of the broth. There are many more ingredients: chicken stock, pieces of pork, mushrooms, and seafood just to name the main ones. 
The key is to make them all about the same size so they all cook properly. She can do multiple dumplings at once.
Shredded daikon (white carrot) and green onion are only parts of the broth. There are many more ingredients: chicken stock, pieces of pork, mushrooms, and seafood just to name the main ones. 
An offering to the ancestors, and then we're ready to eat.
1 comment:
Got a call from Margaret and Chris yesterday who tried to look up the name "yuan zi" and didn't get any hits. This is because the proper name for these dumplings is: Tang Yuan. I know there are many variations (including sweet soups with sweet fillings), but was surprised when I did a search - look at those brightly colour ones! According to the wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangyuan) our family would be part of the "various regions" that associate the dish with Winter Solstice.
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