Dumplings take the meaning of Jiaozi in the new year. When Zi is Zi, Jiao is homophonic with dumplings, which means festive reunion and good fortune; glutinous rice balls are round because they are round, which means a complete reunion. Dumplings are traditional Chinese food, filled with dough and shaped like a half-moon or ingot. Tangyuan is one of the representative snacks of Han Chinese and has a long history.
Tangyuan uses black sesame, lard, and white sugar as raw materials. First, grind the black sesame into powder, then put the lard and white sugar into the mixture one after another and knead it into a ball to make a filling. Use glutinous rice flour on the outside. After being rolled into a round shape and cooked, it tastes sweet, delicious and interesting. Symbolizing family reunion, eating Lantern Festival means family happiness and all the best in the new year.
How to make dumpling wrappers: Wheat flour is most commonly used for making noodles, and buckwheat flour is used in some places. Use cool water. After kneading the dough in a basin, leave it for 20 minutes to allow the water to fully penetrate into the flour particles. If there is too much water, the dough will be soft and easy to wrap, but it will break easily when boiled. On the contrary, if there is too little water, the dough will be hard and difficult to roll out and wrap. A good taste generally requires the noodles to be firmer.
Dumpling fillings are mainly divided into meat fillings, vegetarian fillings, and meat and vegetable fillings. Before making the purchased meat fillings, add a small amount of water and mix them, then add chopped green onion, minced ginger, peppercorns or five-spice powder, and MSG. Salt, a little soy sauce, cooking wine, etc. Then stir evenly in one direction and adjust the saltiness.
When making dumplings, lay the dumpling wrappers flat on the table, put the fillings in, pinch the dumpling wrappers on both sides from the middle, and then pinch both sides.