Gui Hua Jiu Niang Tang Yuan 桂花酒酿汤圆

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.

Comments

[tigerfish]

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.

[Rasa Malaysia]

I absolutely love this 桂花酒酿汤圆, the 桂花 makes it very aromatic.

[ulterior epicure]

Great to have found you! I love jiu niang! I've made it at home, and it's decent... but not quite sweet enough!

[ST]

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.

[Lyli]

This is one of my favorite desserts. My mom makes great jiu niang, which is also yummy with slices of rice cake.

[jacuquie]

where does a person find osmanthus flowers to buy in bulk?
JP
phelanfood.com

[cari]

how much osmanthus is needed for the syrup? I'd totally love to try it and i'm waiting impatiently for the jiu niang tang yuan recipe!

[Trudy]

if the jiu niang has a layer of fungus on top, can you still eat it? it looks like little hair or fuzz on the jiu niang.

[ST]

I have never have fungus grown on my jiu niang but from books and other writings, it is only edible if the fugus is white in colour for that is yeast. Fungus of any other colour will be poisonous.