Happy Dong Zhi! Today, we had tang yuan in two styles. There is the usual tang yuan in brown sugar syrup and this: tang yuan with jiu niang, a kind of fermented glutinous rice popular in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang region of China.
I first tasted jiu niang tang yuan in Shanghai. The winey rice grains and chewy tang yuan in a hot, sugary broth served with a dollop of osmanthus syrup 桂花酱 was perfect to warm the body on a freezing winter day.
A few months ago my aunt had sent me some wine yeast so that I can make my own jiu niang. This first attempt was not very successful as the rice mixture had over ferment. It was edible but the texture was not quite right. I will need to try a few more methods before posting a workable recipe.
While the jiu niang did not turn out that well, the homemade osmanthus syrup was a hit. The floral, apricot scented sweetener is a delicious addition to jiu niang, tea and even yogurt.
Osmanthus Syrup
Ingredients:
Dried osmanthus
Sugar
Salt
Honey
Method:
Soak osmanthus to rehydrate. Add sugar to some water and bring to a boil. Add the osmanthus and a pinch of salt to the sugar solution. Reduce the mixture to a syrup on low heat. You can also add honey to thicken the syrup. Let cool and keep the syrup in a clean glass bottle. Leave for a few days before using.
Did not even know it's Dong Zhi today, but it was supposed to be winter solstice here in the US on 21/22dec.
I've had 桂花酒酿汤圆 before in pudong kitchen, singapore. Think it's an acquired taste.
Posted by: tigerfish | December 23, 2006 at 06:02 AM
I absolutely love this 桂花酒酿汤圆, the 桂花 makes it very aromatic.
Posted by: Rasa Malaysia | January 08, 2007 at 09:46 AM
Great to have found you! I love jiu niang! I've made it at home, and it's decent... but not quite sweet enough!
Posted by: ulterior epicure | February 13, 2007 at 10:02 AM
Hi ulterior epicure, the jiu niang not being sweet enough can be due to the type of wine yeast used. If possible, get the ones from Su Zhou.
Posted by: ST | February 13, 2007 at 09:30 PM
This is one of my favorite desserts. My mom makes great jiu niang, which is also yummy with slices of rice cake.
Posted by: Lyli | March 24, 2007 at 08:53 AM
where does a person find osmanthus flowers to buy in bulk?
JP
phelanfood.com
Posted by: jacuquie | December 21, 2007 at 11:52 AM