Dong Zhi Festival 2013 In Ipoh

The girls have been pestering their granny to roll tangyuan balls with them since yesterday.  Though some people said that Dong Zhi festival 2013 is on 21 Dec 2013, many still insist that Dong Zhi 2013 is on 22 December 2013, which is today.  Thus, my parents are only celebrating it today :)

So here they are... my monsters from Monsters Inc., with their granny, rolling tangyuan balls.


 


My dad is now boiling a pot of ginger syrup. Next, my mum will blanch the tangyuan balls, then soak the balls in ice water for 10 minutes before removing the balls and serving them with ginger syrup. The house is wafting with the aroma of pandan ginger syrup now. Hmmmm, smells heavenly and beckons good vibes and warmth to a happy family :)

Our tangyuan balls are rolled plain and some are stuffed with my mum's home-made mung bean paste.
 


Significance of Tangyuan (extracted from Wikipedia):

For many Chinese families in mainland China as well as overseas, tangyuan is usually eaten together with family. The round shape of the balls and the bowls where they are served, come to symbolise the family togetherness.

 While tangyuan was originally a food that people would consume during festivals, it has become a dessert consumed year-round rather than simply a festival food. For instance, tangyuan is traditionally in white color. Yet, in order to cater to consumers’ needs and changing tastes, dessert specialty shops create new flavors or colors of tangyuan by substituting the traditional filling with chocolate, mashed potato and pumpkin paste. Thus, tangyuan has already evolved into a dessert that is consumed by Chinese from time to time throughout the year and is no longer limited to festivals.