Savory Tang Yuan 皮薄多汁馅多鲜肉汤圆。
Juicy, delicious meat filling with a thin, soft chewy skin.
Ingredients:
Stock （葱姜水）
2 star anise （八角）
2 bay leaves （香叶）
1/2 cinnamon stick （肉桂）
10 sichuan peppercorn （花椒）
1 scallion （葱）
10 ginger matchsticks （生姜）
3 tbsp boiling water （开水）
Dough
4 cups glutinous rice flour （糯米粉）
1/2 cup rice flour （粘米粉）
3.5 cups water (approx - dependent on flour brand, humidity etc.) （水）
Meat Filling
1 lb ground pork （猪肉）
2 tbsp soy sauce （酱油）
1 tbsp dark soy sauce （老抽）
3 tbsp sesame oil （芝麻油）
1 tsp salt （盐）
1/2 tbsp mushroom or chicken bouillon （鸡精）
3 tbsp sugar （糖）
3 tbsp stock （葱姜水）
3 scallions （葱）
Directions:
Combine all stock ingredients, and let sit with cover for 30 minutes to bring out the flavor while you work on the dough.
Start bringing a small pot of water to a boil. Combine the two flours, and add water 1/2 cup to 1 cup at a time, slowly mixing as you go to prevent from adding too much water. The recipe calls for about 3.5 cups but adjust accordingly until the dough reaches a dough consistency. Take about 50g of the dough, and divide it into 3 balls. Into the boiling water, boil the 3 balls until floating and translucent (1-2 min). When done, add the 3 balls back into the remaining dough mixture before kneading into a dough again. This step makes the dough extremely flexible to work with and prevents skin breakage later on when cooked. Set aside with a plastic wrap before making the filling.
Combine the meat filling ingredients. The stock should be added in 1 tbsp at a time, thoroughly mixing in between each tbsp.
Take a small portion of dough, roll it horizontally into a log, and cut it into tablespoon sized balls. Set aside, keeping a cover on at all times to prevent the dough from drying out. With each dough ball. Press a hole into each ball, using fingers to press around the edges until a round wrapper forms. Place a dollop of the filling in the middle, leaving enough room on the edges to seal completely. Gently push the wrapper upwards before sealing and forming into a round ball. Repeat for each ball of dough.
If you want to freeze tang yuan to eat in the future, individually lay each tang yuan on a tray before placing into the freezer. When the tang yuan have completely frozen, place into a ziplock bag for long term storage. Boil them directly from the freezer when planning on eating.
To cook tang yuan, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Gently place tang yuan into the pot, swirling them around gently occasionally to prevent sticking. Fresh tang yuan takes about 5 minutes to cook, but frozen tang yuan will take about 7 minutes. Keep an eye on the tang yuan as overcooking them will cause the skin to break. Once the tang yuan are floating and the edges are translucent, they are ready to serve!