Yuanxiao is what people in the north call it, while people in the south call it glutinous rice balls. According to Chinese tradition, every year on the 15th day of the first lunar month, people go to the temple fairs and eat Lantern Festivals.

The Lantern Festival originated in the Han Dynasty. It is said that because Zhou Bo and Chen Ping eliminated the influence of the Lu family, the day happened to be the 15th day of the first lunar month. In order to commemorate this day, Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty went to the folk festival every year. Enjoy the festival with the people, and designate this day as the Lantern Festival. At the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Sima Qian listed the Lantern Festival as one of the folk festivals in the Taichu calendar. It flourished in the Sui and Song Dynasties, and there is a saying of "Tangyuan in the Song Dynasty and lanterns in the Sui Dynasty". The Yuanxiao in the north was called Laowan and Fuyuan in the Song Dynasty, while in the south it was called Tangyuan, Yuanyuan and Tuanzi. Eating Yuanxiao means a good omen for the full moon. "Wrap walnuts with sweet-scented osmanthus stuffing, and glutinous rice is like the water of the Pearl River. When I talk about whose flour is good, I try to sell Yuanxiao in the wind." ("Shangyuan Bamboo Branch Ci")

And the Lantern Festival is also called "Shangyuan" "Yuan Festival" is also the birthday of the "Three Officials" in folk Taoism. Emperor Tianguan is in charge of blessings, and "Tianguan Blessing" came into being. (The Taoist Three Yuan theory divides the Upper, Middle and Lower Yuan Festivals, and the three officials are responsible for the three realms of heaven, earth and man. Because the Tianguan is happy, every household lights up lights, colors and fireworks to celebrate the birthday of the Tianguan). Eating Yuanxiao on the Lantern Festival may have started in the Song Dynasty. It was called "Fuyuanzi" at that time. It was not until the Ming Dynasty that it was renamed "Yuanxiao". Every family makes and cooks Yuanxiao.

Compared with glutinous rice balls in the south, the advantage of Yuanxiao is that it has no cracks and is large in size. The disadvantage is that the filling is coarse and powdery, and the texture is rigid and hard. Because there is too much dry powder, the soup becomes mushy and often becomes turbid and unclear. Yuanxiao fillings have various fillings. They are as white as snow, soft and moist, sweet and slightly sour, and are convenient and economical to eat.

Ingredients:

Four, glutinous rice noodles, sugar, walnut kernels, golden cake cubes, melon seeds

Preparation method:

● Put the walnut kernels, golden cake dices, flour, sugar, and melon seeds into a basin, add an appropriate amount of cold water, and mix to form a filling. Then make a five-foot-square stuffing block and place it in a ventilated place to dry for 24 hours

●Put the stuffing pieces in cold water, roll them in the glutinous rice noodles, then dip them in the cold water and roll them in the glutinous rice noodles. Do this four times until all the glutinous rice noodles are covered with the stuffing pieces, and it’s Yuanxiao

●Bring the water to a boil over high heat, put the dumplings into the boiling water in batches, push them along the bottom of the pot in one direction with a spoon, wait until the dumplings float, then cook over low heat, and sprinkle some cold water into the pot, etc. When the Yuanxiao rises, cook the filling and it is ready

◎How to eat Yuanxiao

There are also techniques for cooking Yuanxiao:

◇Pinch gently. Before putting it in the pot, gently squeeze the Yuanxiao with your hands to make it slightly cracked. This will make the cooked Yuanxiao easy to cook inside and outside, soft and delicious.

◇Under boiling water. After the water in the pot boils, add the dumplings and gently push them open with the back of a spoon. Let the dumplings rotate a few times to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

◇Cook over low heat. After putting the Yuanxiao in the pot and cooking it until it floats, quickly switch to a simmer. Otherwise, the Yuanxiao will be constantly flipped and heated unevenly, making it hard on the outside and hard on the inside.

◇Some cold water. After the Yuanxiao is put into the pot, add an appropriate amount of cold water every time it is opened to keep it in a rolling state. After boiling it for two or three times, cook it for a while, then take it out and eat it. The Yuanxiao cooked in this way is soft but not hard, sweet and delicious. In addition to cooking Yuanxiao, there are many ways to eat it:

◆ Deep-fried Yuanxiao. If you want to make Yuanxiao raw, you can first stick the Yuanxiao with egg white and then put it in a pot to fry. The Yuanxiao fried in this way has the aroma of eggs. Keep turning while frying to avoid uneven frying. When frying Yuanxiao, it sometimes happens that the Yuanxiao suddenly explodes in the oil pan and hurts people. If you use a needle to prick two small needle holes in the Yuanxiao before putting it into the pot, you can prevent this phenomenon from happening. In addition, use low heat to warm the oil when frying, so that the fried yuanxiao will be sweet and delicious, with crispy skin and waxy inside.

◆Drawing Yuanxiao. Fry the Yuanxiao and set aside. Grease the bottom of the pot with cooking oil, add sugar and an appropriate amount of water, and simmer over low heat until the syrup turns yellow. When the syrup bubbles up and turns yellow, add the fried yuanxiao, stir with the syrup, take it out of the pan quickly, and eat it while it's hot. It will look like golden beads. Wrapping silk has no interest.

◆ To wear Yuanxiao, fry the sesame seeds until crispy and grind them into powder. Put it into a pot with thick sugar paste, then pour in the fried Yuanxiao and roll it until it becomes sticky. Adhesions can be eaten cold or hot.

◆Steamed Yuanxiao Place the Yuanxiao on a porcelain or metal plate greased with a layer of oil, steam it until cooked, take it out and sprinkle with sugar. It is delicious, fragrant and glutinous, and easy to make.

◆ Roast Yuanxiao. Place the Yuanxiao on a metal plate greased with base oil, put the plate into the oven, and bake until golden brown and cooked through. Take it out and put it on a plate. Serve with white sugar to taste. Sweet.