Black Sesame Dumplings. Dessert in the form of black sesame paste dumplings drenched in ginger syrup is on the menu, thanks to his recipe.
I don’t have that much sweet tooth in my body except for a few treats.
Tang yuan, or sweet dumplings full of black sesame paste or ground peanuts, is one of my favorite Chinese treats or the black sesame dumplings.
Black sesame stuffing oozes out of each of the dumplings in the picture above, making them utterly delicious in every way possible.
It’s possible to serve the black sesame dumplings with hot water or ginger syrup. I don’t mind either way, but nothing beats a bowl of black sesame dumplings soaked in ginger syrup on colder days.
In addition to its numerous health benefits, ginger is known for its ability to warm the body like no other.
For my black sesame dumplings, I utilized screwpine “pandan” leaves and dried sweet osmanthus.
Infusing the ginger syrup with their lovely scents is a real treat!
The recipe for black sesame dumplings that I’ve put together is below. You should know that it will take some time and effort to make them, but the results will be worth it.
528 calories per serving are all you get for this recipe.
INGREDIENTS:
- 226 g of sticky rice flour or glutinous rice
- ¾ cup of water
- ½ stick of unsalted butter
- ¼ cup of sugar
- ¼ cup of black sesame seeds
GINGER SYRUP:
- 115 g of old, peeled, and pounded ginger.
- 5 cups of water
- 2 pandan/screwpine leaves tied into knot
- 1 cup of sugar
- ½ teaspoon of sweet osmanthus
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Toast the black sesame seeds until they produce an aroma, frequently stirring, over a medium flame. Please be aware that heating sesame seeds will cause them to pop, so use a lid to keep them covered. Black sesame seeds should not be burned; they should be removed and allowed to cool as soon as they begin to smell aromatic.
- To make the black sesame seeds powdery, pulse them in a tiny food processor. Add sugar and butter to the ground black sesame and whisk until thick paste forms.
- Add extra butter if they are getting too dry. Allow cooling in refrigerator after removing from oven. It will make the filling process more manageable.
- Glutinous rice flour and water should be combined in a large bowl until smooth paste forms, and your hands can no longer stick to it.
- Divide it into 16 to 20 balls evenly. It depends on how you like the size, the bigger the size, the easier it is to fill. Use chopsticks to scoop up some black sesame paste and place it in the middle of each ball that you flatten.
- Seal the dumpling by tucking in the ends. Form ball out of it by gently rolling it between your palms. Set away for a later time.
- Boil the water in a saucepan to make ginger syrup. Stir in the ginger and pandan leaves (if using) and bring to a simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
- Then add sugar and sweet osmanthus and bring to a boil for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce the water to roughly 4 cups by simmering the mixture. Taste the amount of sugar and adjust as desired.
- Set up a second pot of hot water and do the same thing. Add the dumplings to cook. Transfer them to the ginger syrup as soon as they rise to the surface. Serve immediately in a bowl as soon as the heat is turned off.
NOTES:
- Pork fat is traditionally used to make black sesame paste. The black sesame paste is made even silkier, smoother, and more flavorful, thanks to pork grease. You can use lard if you choose, but I opted to use butter instead.
- Use the black sesame paste sparingly. If you overfill your dumplings, they may “bust” as you form them into balls. During the boiling process, they may also “bust.”
- To avoid clouding, dumplings should be boiled in separate pots from the ginger syrup. If some of your black sesame dumplings rupture, the ginger syrup will not be damaged.
- The black sesame dumplings don’t need to be served with ginger syrup; you can simply cook them in the hot, boiled water and serve them with that hot water instead. Do not consume the hot water, only the dumplings.