Tasting Yuanxiao or Tangyuan for Lantern Festival
By admin on 2014-12-29

Chinese New Year festivities will finally come to an end on Sunday with the Lantern Festival, also known as Yuanxiao. It's a time for people to enjoy delicious glutinous rice balls with their families, friends and lovers.

Yuanxiao and tangyuan are the traditional food that people eat on Lantern Festival. They are boiled glutinous rice balls with stuffing. People in north China make yuanxiao by rolling a hard stuffing in glutinous rice flour. In Xiamen, tangyuan is prepared by placing the filling inside rice flour wrapping, similar to the making of jiaozi. Popular stuffings people usually use include fragrant mashed peanut, black sesame and mashed red bean and cane sugar.

There is a little difference between yuanxiao and tangyuan. Yuanxiao is usually made fresh and eaten within 24 hours, while tangyuan can be frozen and kept for a longer period. People that won't bother to make handmade tangyuan can purchase it in most supermarkets, like Wal-Mart, Trust-Mart, Metro, RT-Mart, Carrefour, and some convenience stores. Beside, most restaurants in Xiamen also serve yuanxiao. 
 

Yuanxiao brands available in Xiamen

Jiatianxia (甲天下)

Longfeng (龙凤)

Sanquan (三全)

Places to taste yuanxiao in Xiamen

1) "39℃" Restaurant at No.39, Douxi Road, Siming District

Tel: 0592-2283352

2) Huang Zehe Peanut Soup Restaurant at Zhongshan Road

Tel: 0592-5672266 

3) Food Court at SM Shopping Mall at No.468, Jiahe Road, Siming District

4) Food Court at Shimao Shangcheng (World Trade Mall) at No.888, Xiahe Road, Siming District

Note: many restaurants in Xiamen also serve yuanxiao.