Make winter solstice tangyuan yourself: creative recipes with high fiber and plenty of fruits and vegetables
By Hung Jo-pu, Director of the Nutrition Department, Zhongxiao Branch, Taipei City Hospital
Eating tangyuan (glutinous rice balls) at the winter solstice is a traditional Chinese custom. It represents "reunion" and a "complete" passing of the winter, and also means that eating tangyuan adds another year to one's age. In the past, traditional farming families ground their own glutinous rice to make tangyuan. In today's busy life, frozen tangyuan have become a favorite of modern industrial and commercial society, a simple and convenient festive food that lets even the busiest people easily enjoy the holiday atmosphere.
Hung Jo-pu, Director of the Nutrition Department at the Zhongxiao Branch of Taipei City Hospital, says that commercially sold tangyuan come in a wide variety. Among them, filled sesame or peanut tangyuan weigh about 30 grams each, equivalent to 65-70 kcal, which means that eating 4 filled tangyuan is equal to eating a bowl of rice. Patients with chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease should carefully consider and limit their intake.
Hung Jo-pu recommends no more than 2 filled tangyuan per day. As for unfilled small tangyuan, their oil and sodium content is lower than that of filled sweet or savory tangyuan, and 5 small tangyuan contain about 70 kcal. So how can you eat them healthily without overdoing it?
She says that people often experience indigestion, gastrointestinal discomfort and bloating after eating too much tangyuan or other glutinous rice products. Hung Jo-pu explains that glutinous rice differs from japonica rice (Penglai rice): its starch structure is amylopectin, which becomes highly sticky after grinding and cooking, and it is poor for gastric emptying, so pay attention to portion size and do not eat too much.
So that people who love tangyuan can also eat healthily, the Nutrition Department of the Zhongxiao Branch offers the public creative winter solstice colorful tangyuan. Adding tofu to glutinous rice not only reduces the amount of glutinous rice consumed, lowers stickiness and adds a dense bean aroma, but can also be paired with fresh vegetable and fruit juices or nut powders (black sesame), emphasizing health and naturalness with many flavor variations. The colorful (red, orange, yellow, green, purple) plant ingredients from vegetables and fruits are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants (lycopene, flavonoids, anthocyanins, isoflavones, etc.).
This year (Year 100 of the Republic of China) at the winter solstice, the Nutrition Department of the Zhongxiao Branch teaches the public to make colorful tangyuan (the recipe was designed by dietitian Lin Tzu-yin), using fresh red dragon fruit, grapefruit, passion fruit and others to make tangyuan. They are not only fresh and sweet with plenty of fiber, but importantly have a natural original flavor and added health benefits. You can also use your creativity to make tangyuan with different flavors, while at the same time enjoying the fun of a traditional festival. The public might as well try making them themselves and make the rich-flavored tangyuan they want!
| Tangyuan Calorie Chart | |||||
|
| Calories (kcal) | Protein (g) | Fat (g) | Carbohydrates (g) | Dietary Fiber (g) |
| Commercially sold frozen small tangyuan(23 pieces) | 86 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 15 | – |
| Commercially sold sesame tangyuan(2 pieces/60 g) | 103 | 1.4 | 4.4 | 15 | 0.3 |
| Commercially sold fresh meat tangyuan(2 pieces/60 g) | 114 | 2.6 | 5.1 | 15 | 0.2 |
| Sesame tofu tangyuan(4 pieces/30 g) | 78 | 2 | 0.8 | 15 | 0.3 |
| Red yeast rice tofu tangyuan(4 pieces/30 g) | 73 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 15 | 0.2 |
| Grapefruit tofu tangyuan(5 pieces/38 g) | 72 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 15 | 0.3 |
| Red dragon fruit tofu tangyuan(5 pieces/38 g) | 71 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 15 | 0.4 |
| Passion fruit tofu tangyuan(5 pieces/38 g) | 73 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 15 | 0.4 |
● Tofu contains phytoestrogens called isoflavones, which can regulate human hormones, prevent cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, and help calcium and collagen firm up and increase bone density.
● Grapefruit contains naringin, a master at capturing free radicals, lowering blood lipids and protecting the cardiovascular system.
● Red dragon fruit has low sweetness and high water content, and is rich in anthocyanins, with eye-protecting and antioxidant effects. It is rich in dietary fiber, with 1.7 grams per 100 grams. The flesh contains sesame-like seeds that help with gastrointestinal movement.
"Colorful Tangyuan"Recipe design / Dietitian Lin Tzu-yin
● Ingredients
1 jin (600 g) glutinous rice flour, 300 g traditional soft tofu. You can use sesame powder (10 g), red dragon fruit (mashed, take 80 g), passion fruit (2 pieces, about 50 g), or grapefruit (half, about 100 g) and other ingredients.
● Method
- Mix the glutinous rice flour and traditional soft tofu evenly, divide into 5 equal portions, respectively mix in the sesame powder, red dragon fruit, passion fruit and grapefruit and knead into dough of various flavors, then roll into small tangyuan of about 8 g each and set aside.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil to cook the tangyuan (do not use high heat). When the water boils, put the tangyuan in, and when they float and expand slightly, scoop them out. Otherwise, too much air inside the tangyuan will burst the skin, which not only affects the appearance but also the texture.
- The tangyuan can be cooked in savory or sweet flavors according to personal preference.
- You can also blanch the tangyuan, scoop them out, mix evenly with granulated sugar, and thread them into appealing skewers (usually 3 pieces per skewer).