First of all, the method is different. Tangyuan is made by "wrapping", while Yuanxiao is made by "rolling".

To make glutinous rice balls, first mix the raw glutinous rice flour into a dough, then wrap various fillings in it, similar to making dumplings, and finally roll it into a round ball.

There are many sizes of glutinous rice balls. In addition to the common sizes, there are also small dumplings like pearls, or meat glutinous rice balls larger than table tennis balls.

To make Yuanxiao, you cut the hard stuffing into small pieces, dip it in water and roll it on a dustpan covered with raw glutinous rice flour, shaking and sprinkling water, and finally roll it into a ball, and then the dustpan comes out.

The Lantern Festival is not so uniform in size and shape.

Therefore, the surface of glutinous rice balls is smooth and sticky, while the surface of Yuanxiao is not as smooth as glutinous rice balls, and is a bit bumpy.

The second difference in the raw materials of glutinous rice balls is that there are some differences in the skin and filling.

The fillings of Yuanxiao are like hard candies, mainly sweet. Black sesame, hawthorn, bean paste, chocolate and other flavors are more common. The outer layer is made of raw glutinous rice flour.

The filling of glutinous rice balls is much softer, similar to that of steamed buns, and the flavors are much richer. In addition to the traditional black sesame and peanuts, there are also flavors such as fresh meat, shepherd's purse, fruits, etc., including salty, sweet, meat and vegetable, and the outer shell is made of glutinous rice flour.

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The third reason for Yuanxiao is the difference in cooking habits. Yuanxiao and glutinous rice balls are cooked at different times and have their own unique methods.

Cooking Yuanxiao takes a long time, usually more than 10 minutes, and you still need to order cold water two or three times during the process.

The time to cook glutinous rice balls should be shorter, just a few minutes.

In addition, Yuanxiao can also be eaten fried, steamed, grilled, and even shredded Yuanxiao; boiled glutinous rice balls are still the main trend, but there are also Guizhou fried glutinous rice dumplings with pickled cabbage.