We call these balls tangyuan or yuanxiao, which made of glutinous rice flour and can be either filled or unfilled with sweet, or savoury stuffing. Sweet fillings are basically made of sugar, nuts, seeds, or beans while minced meat and vegetables are often used the savoury filling. As a symbol of family unity and harmony in Chinese culture, tang yuan is traditionally served around Dong Zhi /winter solstice, about the time when families get together for the holidays.

The way to make tangyuan varies between northern and southern China. The usual method followed in the south is to shape the dough first into small portions, fill each with the preferred filling, and then roll into rounds. In North China, the fillings are pressed into rounds, and roll in a bowl of dry glutinous rice flour.

#Dough:	#Filling:
200 g Glutinous rice powderangiesrecipes 50 g Rice powder, short-grainangiesrecipes 210 ml Water, warm 1 tsp Matcha tea powderangiesrecipes 1 tsp Cacao powderangiesrecipes	160 g Instant black sesame powder 50 g Caster sugar 60 g Peanut butter Some water

1. In a bowl, stir the instant sesame powder with the peanut butter and some water to make a thick paste. Combine two kinds of rice flour together in a bowl. Make a well in the centre, add water gradually and mix until you have a soft dough. Divide dough into 4 equal portions, each about 110 grams.
   
   
2. Add matcha tea powder to one portion and cacao powder to another. Leave two portions uncoloured. Roll each portion out into a long strip to the same length. Place one white strip on the top of the green tea one, and the other atop the cacao strip. Slice each into two.
   
   
3. Stack layers, alternating white, green and cacao colours. Slice the stack into the small even portions, each about 16-18 grams. Lightly flatten each piece and place 8-10 grams of filling in the center. Seal and roll it into the ball.
   
   
4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Gently drop the glutinous rice balls into the pot of boiling water and remove once they float to the top. Tangyuan can be served in either a very simple sugar wateror a bowl of red bean soup.

A very healthy, popular Chinese soup. Easy to prepare and tastes fantastic!

#Ingredients:	#Marinade:
100 g Chicken breastangiesrecipes 3 cup Water 1 tsp Chicken bouillonangiesrecipes 1 tsp Ginger root,angiesrecipes minced 120 g Sweetcorns, canned 1/2 tsp Salt 1/4 tsp White pepper powder 1 tbsp Cornstarch 2 tbsp Water 1 Egg	1/4 tsp Salt Pinch of white pepper powder 1/2 tbsp Cornstarchangiesrecipes 1/2 tbsp Water 1 tsp Oil, cooked

1. Rinse the chicken breast well with cold water and pat it dry with paper towel. Finely chop chicken breast and place them in a bowl. Add in the marinade and mix well. Roughly chop the sweetcorns and lightly beat the egg.
   
   
2. Place 3 cups of water and chicken bouillon in a deep pot. Bring it to a boil. Add in minced ginger root and chopped sweetcorns. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add in the marinated chicken and stir until cooked, about 2 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper. Blend the cornstarch and water until smooth. Slowly pour into the soup, stirring constantly until thickened。 Add in the beaten egg and stir until egg swirl through the soup. Remove from heat.

125 g Fish fillet 2 Egg whites 150-200 ml Water 5 g Salt 10 g Ginger squeeze 30 g Starchy solution 10 g Chicken oil

Salad oil 15 g Dried mushrooms, soaked and chopped Lettuce shreds A few slices of carrots 100 g Stock 5 g Jiafan rice wine Chicken bouillon and salt to taste

1. Mash the fish fillet and dissolve it with some water. The quantity of water depends on the texture of fish, at about 150-200 ml.
   
   
   
   
2. Season with the salt and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Then add in ginger squeeze, starchy solution, egg whites and chicken oil to get the fish mixture.
   
   
   
   
3. Place a wok over the low-middle heat and add in enough salad oil. Using a tablespoon to scoop the fish mixture into the heated oil. Take out as soon as the fish has shaped. Rinse them with a bowl of boiled water to get rid of extra oil.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Place the stock in a skillet, together with rice wine, chicken bouillon and salt. Bring it to a boil. Thicken with a little starchy solution. Add in mushrooms, carrot slices and lettuce. Return the fish and stir briefly. Serve immediately.

Taro balls can be reheated by frying in fairly hot oil for 1 minute or 175C/350F hot oven for 15 minutes.

450 g Taro (frozen) angiesrecipes 2 tbsp Potato starch 2 tbsp Sugar 1/4 tsp Salt

1 tbsp Salad oil Some cornstarch 500 ml Oil for frying

1. Steam the taro till soft, about 15 minutes. Mash with a fork until smooth while hot. Add in potato starch, sugar, salt and oil. Mix well.
   
   
2. Using 1 tablespoon of mashed taro to make a oval-shaped balls. Pat the balls with cornstarch. Heat the oil until it reaches 160C/320F. Lower the taro balls in the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Remove, drain and serve.

Many cuisines have their own lemon chicken, this one carries a sweet and sour tang and perfect for a family gathering.

Ingredients:	#Marinade:	#Sauce:
180 g Boneless chicken breast (or thighs) 4 tbsp Cornstarch Oil for frying	1/2 tsp Salt 1/2 tsp Sugar 1 Egg white 2 tsp Cornstarch 1 tsp Jiafan rice wine 1/4 tsp White pepper powder 1/4 tsp Sesame oil	50 ml Lemon juice 1 tbsp Sugar 80 ml Chicken stock 2 tsp Cornstarch Lemon slices

1. Cut the chicken breast in half. Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl. Mix the chicken breast with marinade and set aside for 15 minutes.
   
   
2. Heat some oil in a large skillet to 190C/375F. Coat the chicken breast halves with cornstarch and fry until golden, about 5 minutes. Drain and then cut into serving size pieces and arrange on a serving platter.
   
   
3. Combine all sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and mix well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce boils and thickens, about 5 minutes. Take out the lemon slices to put on the chicken first, then pour the sauce over. Garnish with shredded spring onions if desired.

#Filling:

• 350 g Minced meat
• 1/2 tbsp Maggi sauce
• 1/2 tbsp Dark soya sauce
• 1/2 tsp Chicken bouillon
• 1/3 tsp White pepper powder
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 80 g Water
• 10 g Scallionangiesrecipes
• 10 g Gingerangiesrecipes
• 180 g Cabbage
• 50 g Carrot
• 1/2 tbsp Sesame oil



#Dough:

• 185 g Milk at 40C/104F
• 2 tsp Honey
• 70 g Buckwheat flourangiesrecipes
• 230 g German #550 flour
• 4 g Instant dry yeast
• 80 g Old dough
• 1 g Baking soda

 

1. Thinly slice the cabbages and carrots, sprinkle some salt over and set aside briefly. Use your hand to squeeze out the excess liquid from the vegetables. Set aside. Mix 80 grams of water, 10 grams each of ginger and scallion thoroughly in a blender. Season the minced meat with maggie, dark soya sauce, chicken bouillon, white pepper powder and sugar. Add ginger-scallion mixture into the meat and stir in a clockwise direction until thick and stiff. Add in drained cabbages and carrots, and finally drizzle in the sesame oil. Stir all until thoroughly combined. 
2. In a mixing bowl, place in milk and honey, then add the buckwheat, wheat flour, and yeast. Mix on low speed until a dough forms a ball. Add in old dough and stir until combined. Increase the speed and continue beating until the dough ball becomes smooth. Cover it with plastic film and rest for 20 minutes at warm spot. Shape the dough into a long roll and divide into 35 grams portions. Flatten each portioned dough with the bottom of your palm. Roll the dough out forming a disk of with the edges thinner than the center.
3. Hold a wrapper with some filling in the middle with your left hand, fold the edges of the wrapper together in a pleated fashion with the right hand. Pinch edges together to seal and enclose the filling. Cut out squares of baking paper and place on the buns. Allow them to rest for about 30 minutes. Steam over boiling water for 10-15 minutes on medium-high fire. Turn off the heat and transfer the buns onto the serving plate after one minute.

Quick, easy-to-prepare, and most important, the soup is flavourful and delicious!

#Ingredients:	#Sauce:
50 g Sausages or hams 50 g Carrots 30 g Bamboo shoots (fresh or canned) angiesrecipes 15 g Black fungus, soaked 1 Tomato angiesrecipes 1 tbsp Fermented bean sauce angiesrecipes 1/2 tbsp Cooking oil 1 tsp Ginger, angiesrecipesminced 5-6 cup Beef or chicken bouillon 2/3 tbsp Maggi sauce 1 tbsp Cornstarch 1 tbsp Water 1 Large egg 1/4 tsp Sesame oil 1 stalk Scallion, thinly sliced	2 tbsp Dark vinegar 1/3 tsp Salt 1/3 tsp Chillie flakes 1/4 White pepper powder

1. 
   Rinse the tomato and cut a shallow X on the bottom of the tomato. Then, drop the tomato into a bowl of boiling water. Once the skin starts peeling off, quickly remove the tomato and dip it into a bowl of cold water. Once the tomato has been chilled, peel the skin off and remove the seeds. Cut the peeled and seeded tomato into thin strips. Thinly shred the sausage, carrots, bamboo shoots, and black fungus. Combine together the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl. Dissolve the cornstarch into the water. Set aside.
   
   
   
   
2. 
   
   Heat up a pan, and add in oil, fermented bean sauce and minced ginger. Stir until aromatic and then pour in the bouillon and maggi sauce. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Add in shredded carrots, bamboo shoots, black fungus and sausages. Once the soup starts to boil, add in prepared sauce and tomato. Thicken the soup lightly with starchy solution. Adjust the heat to slower. Beat the egg and sesame oil together and gradually add into the soup, stirring slowly in one direction with a spoon. Sprinkle the scallion over before serving.