Tangyuan is also called Tangyuan because of its round shape. "Yuan" means "reunion" and "completeness". Because Tangyuan is round, it symbolizes "Yang Yuan". Therefore, the main purpose of eating Tangyuan during the Winter Solstice is to Celebrate "Yangsheng".
As for the origin of eating glutinous rice balls, there is such a legend: It is said that a long time ago, a woodcutter went up the mountain to cut wood, accidentally fell into a deep stream, and could not escape, so he picked wild things that looked like glutinous rice balls. "Huangjingjiang" is used to satisfy hunger and avoid starvation. More than ten years later, the woodcutter was covered in hair and as light as a swallow, and he flew back home. But he can no longer speak, and he won't eat even rice. His family made glutinous rice dumplings for him. When he saw the glutinous rice dumplings, he thought they were Huang Jing Jiang and ate them. Later, he gradually recovered his true nature, and actually started talking to his family on the winter solstice. Since then, there has been a custom of eating glutinous rice balls during the Winter Solstice.
When buying glutinous rice balls, you must smell them to choose fresh glutinous rice balls. Fresh glutinous rice balls have a faint "rice fragrance". When cooking glutinous rice balls, first bring the boiling water to a boil, add the glutinous rice balls, and continue to stir so that the glutinous rice balls are evenly heated. The glutinous rice balls that have fully absorbed the water will be twice as big as Mr. Yuan's glutinous rice balls. You can then cook it and mix it with your favorite soup base. It tastes soft, tender and has a Q taste.
Special reminder, the way to eat glutinous rice balls is also very particular. There are many weird ways to eat them. Some people like to put the whole glutinous rice balls into their mouths and chew them, and some people also like to eat them one bite at a time. Enjoying the glutinous rice balls, these are traditional ways of eating. Some people like to eat one mouthful of soup and one mouthful of glutinous rice balls to have more flavor. In fact, people in ancient times enjoyed it more than modern people, because the time in the past was very relaxed, and there is no such thing as now. Emergency, life is also very satisfying, but many modern people work harder for more, so life has become busier; the above is how to eat glutinous rice balls, which is actually very simple. Benefits of eating glutinous rice balls
The skin of glutinous rice balls is made of glutinous rice flour. The white glutinous rice flour can nourish the lungs, which is suitable for the five-color tonic theme of "white nourishes the lungs". As a traditional Chinese medicine, glutinous rice is sweet in taste and warm in nature. It enters the spleen, kidney and lung meridian, and has the functions of warming the stomach and strengthening the spleen, replenishing qi and stopping diarrhea, promoting body fluids and stopping sweating. After making glutinous rice dumplings, it not only enhances its tonic function, but also increases the effect of activating blood circulation and unblocking collaterals: for example, it can promote gastric juice secretion, increase appetite, and help digestion for patients with chronic atrophic gastritis and indigestion; it can also help patients with chronic arthritis It helps activate blood circulation, unblock meridians and relieve pain; it can play an auxiliary therapeutic role for patients who are recovering from serious illness, weak, anemic, or recovering from surgery.
The filling is mainly made of fruits and dried fruits, including sesame, walnuts, peanuts, hawthorn, etc., which are rich in nutrients. The editor below will talk about the benefits of five kinds of glutinous rice balls in detail, let’s take a look.
1. Moisturizing effect - black sesame glutinous rice balls
Moisturizing is the focus of skin care, and black sesame glutinous rice balls not only have a smooth and elastic taste, moderate sweetness and rich fragrance, but also It has the functions of benefiting the liver, nourishing blood and nourishing hair. People who use dieting to lose weight often have dry and rough skin due to insufficient nutritional intake. If sesame is consumed at the same time, rough skin can be improved. Regular consumption of sesame seeds can keep the skin soft, smooth and moist.
2. Red bean glutinous rice balls can prevent and treat swollen feet and help lose weight. Because its alkali component can increase gastrointestinal motility, reduce constipation, promote urination, and eliminate edema caused by heart or kidney disease. In addition, its fiber helps excrete wastes such as salt and fat in the body, and has a great effect on slimming legs. Therefore, the exquisitely processed red bean glutinous rice balls have a smooth, fragrant and soft taste and endless aftertaste. In terms of nutritional value, red beans are rich in vitamin B, B2, protein and various minerals. They have the functions of clearing heat, replenishing blood, diuresis, reducing swelling, and promoting heart activation.
However, although red beans are carbohydrates with extremely high nutritional content, during the digestion process, their legume fiber is prone to gas production in the intestines. People with weak gastrointestinal systems will experience gas production after eating red beans. It may cause discomfort such as bloating, so use with caution.
3. Relieve stress, nourish and nourish the skin - Jiuniang glutinous rice balls
The fermented glutinous rice balls in Jiuniang glutinous rice balls are brewed by fermentation at a constant temperature of 5℃ for 3 to 4 days. , smooth, sweet and not sticky. Stir the fermented rice, heat it and add it to the cooked glutinous rice balls, plus the longan that has been cooked with rock sugar in advance to increase the effect of nourishing the skin, warming the body and reducing stress. The effect is particularly obvious for those who are busy at work. .
4. Whitening and beautifying - Yunnan Dingxin Tangyuan
It can be said to be the richest glutinous rice dumpling. It is a must-eat breakfast for Yunnan people during the Chinese New Year. The fillings include ham and peanuts. Yunnan wild rose is made from puree and sun-dried Yunnan orange peel. The most exciting thing is the soup base. After drying, add sugar and rice wine and ferment it in a cave for more than half a year to make rose paste and store it. When eating, it is advisable to cut the glutinous rice balls into pieces so that the aroma of peanuts and orange peel can blend with the mellow aroma of rose flower soup. It is really unusual for several aromas to hit your taste buds at the same time.
5. Moisturizing and anti-aging - "eating dry" glutinous rice balls with pine nut golden sand
Steam and crush salted egg yolk, mix with butter, milk powder, sugar, custard powder and mix well It is gold sand material. Add an appropriate amount of warm water to the glutinous rice flour and knead it into a dough ball, then add the golden sand filling and knead it into glutinous rice balls. After the glutinous rice balls are ready, put the glutinous rice balls into the boiling water in the pot. Turn on high heat for 3 minutes until the glutinous rice balls float to the surface. Then take out the cooked glutinous rice balls and set aside for later use. Slightly boil the pine nuts with salt water, fry them and then peel them. Cut the sweet potatoes into thin strips and fry them into golden brown strips. The glutinous rice balls are wrapped with a layer of pine nuts and golden sweet potato shreds. As for the lettuce-based plate, they can be garnished with parsley leaves and red pepper shreds. The vitamin E content in pine nuts is as high as 30%, which has the effect of softening blood vessels and delaying aging. It is an ideal health food for middle-aged and elderly people, and an ideal food for ladies to moisturize and beautify their skin.