World winter holidays served over rice

Outside, students need to bundle up, but inside, ‘tis the season to get hot and steamy—no, not curled up next to the fireplace. Rather, in the kitchen with a hot bowl of tangyuan.

While the biggest East Asian holiday of the winter season is undoubtedly Chinese New Year, the winter solstice festival Dongzhi should not be forgotten. This year Dongzhi falls on Dec. 21. Like many holidays, the Dongzhi festival centers around family and, of course, food.

In south China, the quintessential dish of this holiday is tangyuan. Tangyuan are glutinous rice balls that are boiled and then served in either a sweet or savory broth. These rice balls, which may seem to resemble mochi, can be either plain or stuffed with a variety of fillings, such as red bean paste, sesame paste, or a sweet peanut filling. Nowadays, tangyuan can often be found year-round in Asian supermarkets.

Students looking to procrastinate during finals season should try making their own version of this classic Asian winter dish. With only a few ingredients and a saucepan, Columbians can experiment with a sugary snack that offers the perfect rush to keep them up all night—studying into the wee hours of the morning, of course.

Ingredients:
½ cup glutinous rice flour
¼ cup warm water
Brown sugar (to taste)
Fresh ginger (optional)
Red Bean paste (optional)

Slowly add the water to the glutinous rice flour to make a dough. Meanwhile, boil water in a small saucepan with optional ingredients of choice and brown sugar to taste. Pinch off small pieces of rice dough and roll them into spheres. The diameter should be no larger than that of a dime. Add the dough balls to the boiling soup mixture and let boil until they float (approximately 5-10 minutes). Once the tangyuan have been cooked thoroughly, serve the soup into bowls and enjoy.