First, the raw materials of leather:

The skins are all made of glutinous rice.

Second, the stuffing raw materials:

1, Yuanxiao: At the earliest, assorted stuffing and jujube paste stuffing were mainly used. Assorted stuffing is actually a mixture of white sugar, rose, sesame, red bean paste, yellow cinnamon, walnut kernel and nuts, which feels like the five-kernel stuffing in moon cakes.

2. Tangyuan: Black sesame seeds, red bean paste, walnut kernels, nuts and jujube paste were the first. Soft, sweet, salty and vegetarian dishes vary from place to place:  crisp dumplings in Ningbo, salty dumplings in Taishan, Guangdong, pickled dumplings in Guizhou, triangle dumplings in Zhenxiong, Yunnan, chicken dumplings in Xingyi, Guizhou, cardiopulmonary dumplings in Sichuan, Lingtang dumplings in Chongqing, jujube dumplings in Shandong, four-style dumplings in Guangdong, Lai dumplings in Chengdu, and so on. There are many kinds of dumplings, and all localities say that their own dumplings are delicious for several days and nights.

Nowadays, people's tastes are becoming more and more picky. In order to meet the market demand, Yuanxiao and Tangyuaner have also broken the tradition and marched into the fruit taste. In recent years, there have been western-style flavors such as coffee and matcha, which are a bit confusing.

Third, the production process:

1, Yuanxiao, is based on stuffing. The operation process of making Yuanxiao by the machine is as follows: first, mix the stuffing, spread it into large round slices, cool it, and then cut it into cubes smaller than table tennis. Then put the stuffing into a machine like a big sieve, pour the glutinous rice (called glutinous rice in the south) powder, and the machine will "sieve". As the fillings collide with each other and become spherical, glutinous rice also sticks to the surface of the fillings to form Yuanxiao. The layer of Yuanxiao River rice flour is very thin, and the surface is dry, so the rice flour absorbs water and becomes paste when it is cooked in the pot.

2. Tangyuan: Tangyuan is made in a completely different way, but it is a bit like wrapping jiaozi. First, add water to glutinous rice flour and make it into dough (the same as when making jiaozi), and let it "wake up" for several hours. Then mix all the ingredients for stuffing and put them in a big bowl for use (you don't have to cut them into small pieces like Yuanxiao).

The water content of dumpling stuffing is more than that of Yuanxiao, which is one of the differences between them. The process of making dumplings is also like jiaozi's, but without a rolling pin. Wet glutinous rice flour is very sticky, so we have to pull a small group of wet noodles by hand and squeeze them into a round shape. Use chopsticks (or thin bamboo tools) to pick a ball of stuffing and put it on the glutinous rice slices, and then turn around with both hands to make dumplings. The surface of the well-made dumplings is smooth and shiny, and some of them still have a tip, like a peach. The skin of the dumpling contains enough water, which is sticky and difficult to preserve. It is best to cook it now and eat it now.

Fourth, the taste:

1, Yuanxiao: The skin is strong and the stuffing is chewy. The cooked soup will be sticky, which is a bit like drinking rice soup.

2. Tangyuan: The skin is smooth and the taste is delicate. Because there is a lot of water in the stuffing, the stuffing will flow out like quicksand at the moment when the tangyuan is bitten. Besides, the soup cooked with glutinous rice balls is clearer than Yuanxiao.

Five, cooking methods:

1, Yuanxiao: In addition to cooking, Yuanxiao can also be fried, or pulled, steamed or baked.

2, glutinous rice balls: the eating method is relatively simple, generally boiled.