Full moon, lanterns and romance

Traditions do evolve, with distance.

Growing up in Singapore, handling a bowl of hot soup on a warm humid night was not a favored option. For that reason, my grandmother often served yuanxiao on its own, rolled in crushed peanuts or sweetened coconut flakes, taking on the tropical flavors of our equatorial home.

Here is her recipe for you to try.

Yuanxiao - Sweet glutinous rice balls

500g glutinous rice flour

1 cup warm water

1 cup salted peanuts, chopped

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup desiccated coconut, sweetened

Place glutinous rice flour in a mixing bowl and slowly add water till it forms a pliable dough. It should hold together and not break apart. If you like, you can divide the dough into portions and tint with food coloring.

Mix together crushed peanuts and brown sugar.

Take a piece of dough and form into a circle, adding a spoonful of peanut mixture in the center. Close the circle and roll into a ball, making sure the filling is tightly enclosed.

Drop into boiling water to cook. When the little balls float, they are ready.

Roll the balls in the remaining peanut-sugar mixture, or roll in the desiccated coconut.

Serve with Chinese tea.

If you prefer the sweet soup version, prepare the syrup in a separate pot.

Fill a saucepan with water and add a piece of peeled ginger, lightly crushed. Add enough rock sugar to sweeten to your taste. Keep the sweet soup simmering.

Once the yuanxiao are cooked, place a few into a bowl and ladle over the sweet soup. Serve immediately.