This is a feat for me, as I typically do a fusion of two, rather than three, but hey, there’s a first time for everything!
Today is the winter solstice and many Chinese families celebrate 冬至 (dongzhi) by eating dumplings and 团圆 (tangyuan) which is typically a sweet dish made with glutinous rice flour dumplings and a sweet soup. The dumplings are spherical and stuffed with either red bean, black sesame or peanuts. The celebration of the festival dates back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) and was also prominent during the Tang Dynasty (618 AD – 907 AD) . My girls were so excited for another chance to don their hanfus again, get dolled up and of course, eat some of their favorites. This is the first year I am making them, as we have been purchasing premade ones for the longest time, despite it being difficult to find ones that don’t contain any peanuts. Out of curiosity, I made two batches, one for giant tangyuan and one for the balls you usually see sold at the market. Small ones are definitely more labor intensive than making one giant one, so I decided to stash the small ones in the freezer (yes, they freeze well!) and use the large ones for this recipe.
The filling of this tangyuan is made with a Filipino nut called “pili”. Growing up, the only time I’ve ever had one was in a tartlet, which was overly sweet and overpowers the nut. During a visit to my folk’s house over the summer, I saw my dad topping his oatmeal with glazed pili, so I decided to try it too. Pili is wonderful! It’s softer than most nuts, thanks to it being high in good fats (12%) and almost melts in your mouth. The snap I got from it was thanks to the glaze, which provided just the right amount of sugar. In this recipe, since I used glazed pili nuts, I omitted the extra sugar added. Shoutout to my folks who drove me to two stores, cleaned out the entire shelf stock, AND sent me home with luggage full of gifts for the entire family during my recent visit to the Bay Area. You can learn more about pili here.
The last component of this dish is the Mexican Hot Chocolate Creme Anglaise. Ancient Mayans drank their chocolate with ground chili, and the Aztecs widely used them as currency. It wasn’t until the Spanish arrived that they adopted this beloved drink by adding sugar and milk, making it into what we recognize now as “hot chocolate”. To make it authentic, I ground up Mexican Chocolate Tablets (my husband swears that the “Abuelita” brand is the best, but I used “Ibarra” for this one) and added a teaspoon of cayenne pepper for just the right amount of heat to balance the sweetness. Depending on whether you like to bathe your tangyuan in a soup, or just an overall chocolate person, the anglaise in this recipe can serve four generously.
The combination of the crisp exterior of the tangyuan from frying it to its chewy inside, the crunch from the pili, and silkiness of the anglaise was perfect. My husband beamed with pride to see his culture represented on a plate, my kids licked their plate, and now we look forward to the days stretching out.
冬至快乐! (Dongzhi kuaile) Happy Winter Solstice Festival!
Pili Tangyuan with Mexican Hot Chocolate Creme Anglaise
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Cooling Time: ~2 hours
Total Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes
- For the tang yuan filling:
- 1 package of glazed pili, 80 g
- 3 tbsp butter
For the tang yuan wrapper:
1 cup glutinous flour
3 tbsp boiling water
¼ cup lukewarm water
Water for rolling
- For the creme anglaise:
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablets of Mexican cocoa, such as Ibarra or Abuelita
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Other:
Oil for frying, optional
Crushed pili nuts for garnish, optional
Heavy whipping cream for garnish, optional
Instructions:
To make the tangyuan:
In a bowl, combine flour and hot water until feathery. Add lukewarm water and knead on a flat surface until you have a firm ball of dough. Set aside.
In a food processor, empty bag of glazed pili and butter. Process until grainy. Set aside in the refrigerator to harden.
Cut your dough into four equal pieces. Use a weighing scale, if needed. Roll into a ball and flatten with a rolling pin into a flat disc.
Divide your pili filling into four equal parts and roll into balls.
Place your filling in the middle of the dough discs and pinch the ends so they meet in the middle, covering the ball filling completely. If necessary, wet your fingertips to smooth the dough if it is starting to get crumbly.
To give your tangyuan a crispy exterior with a chewy interior, pan fry your tangyuan in a pan lightly coated with vegetable oil until golden brown on medium to medium- high heat. Add up to a ¼ cup water (it depends on the size of your pan, the idea is to create the right amount of steam. Try keeping your tangyuan in the middle and letting the water slide to the outer ring of your pan) and immediately cover your pan.
Steam frying allows your tangyuan to cook through gently, without losing the crisp you’ve created initially by frying it. This step only takes a couple minutes, so keep an eye on your tangyuan!
To make the anglaise:
In a saucepan on medium heat, warm cream and milk. Add cinnamon, cayenne and vanilla.
While waiting, put the chocolate in a food processor and blend until pulverized. Pour chocolate in the saucepan and stir. Continue heating to barely a simmer.
In the meantime, in a mixing bowl, cream eggs and sugar together.
To temper the eggs, take a ladle-ful of the chocolate milk and put it into the bowl of eggs. Immediately whisk vigorously. Continue adding more of the chocolate milk, until about ⅔ of it is combined. At this point, you can combine the rest of the mixture together, whisking until well combined.
Spoon test: Dip a spoon in the anglaise. Trace your finger on the back of the spoon. If the streak remains visible, then your anglaise is ready. If not, continue cooking on medium- low to medium heat until you are ready to do another spoon test. Do not let your anglaise boil, as it may curdle.
Allow to cool and refrigerate for at least two hours.
To assemble:
Pour some of the anglaise into a plate. Place your cooked tangyuan in the middle. Sprinkle with crushed pili and a dollop of heavy cream for garnish, if desired.
Serve immediately.
Inspired by:
Hey It's Jen Lou 
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