Black Sesame Dumplings with Ginger Syrup 薑茶芝麻湯丸

This year, the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節) falls on September 27.  I know it’s still more than a month away.  But there are several traditional treats and desserts that I wanted to share with you.  So, I guess I better get started early!  To read more about this festival and the traditional Moon Cake, you can click here to read my previous post.   Besides the traditional Moon Cake that we eat to celebrate, this dumplings dessert (湯丸) is another must have for this festival.  It’s because the round shape of these dumplings that represent the whole of the family.  After all, it’s a festival to celebrate family and love.




In this recipe, I used the most popular fillings for this dumpling, black sesame.  Well, at least that’s the most popular filling among my family.  Some people like to fill these dumplings with read bean paste, peanut butter, brown sugar pieces, etc.  Well, that would be for another post.  I took a short cut and use black sesame powder for the fillings.  But you can also grind your own from whole toasted sesame seeds if you like. I also paired these dumplings with the traditional ginger syrup (薑茶).  The ginger syrup is only slightly sweeten and packed with fresh ginger aroma.  I also added a little bit of osmanthus 桂花 to enhance the flavor.  It adds a touch of floral sweetness without additional sugar.  But that’s totally optional.  I’ll list the ingredients on the bottom of this post for your reference.




Ready to see how I made these?  Check out my video tutorial below.






I hope you enjoyed watching my video tutorial.  If you haven’t done so, please subscribe to my YouTube channel here.  You’ll be the first to know when I have new video tutorials published. 

If you’re interested, click here check out these Mid-Autumn Macarons that I shared last year.   Oh, and click here to check out those Snow Skin Mooncake as well.






Ingredients and props for this post:
Glutinous Rice Flour (click here for more information)
Black Sesame Powder (click here for more information)
Osmanthus 桂花 (click here for more information)
Cane Sugar 片糖 (click here for more information)
Curled Handle Ceramic Spoon (Click here to see product information)
Bamboo Placemats (Click here for more information)







Black Sesame Seed Dumplings in Ginger Syrup (薑茶芝麻湯丸)
Makes: 20 Dumplings

Ingredients for Ginger Syrup (姜茶):
4 1/2 cups water
3.3 ounce cane sugar 片糖 (or use 1/2 cup raw sugar)
3 oz. ginger (peeled and lightly mashed)
1 teaspoon sweet osmanthus 桂花 (optional)

Ingredients for the Filling:
3/4 cup Sesame powder
3/4 cup powdered sugar
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Ingredients for the Dough:
8 ounce glutinous rice flour
3/4 cup boiling water

To prepare the ginger Syrup:
In a medium pot, bring water and ginger to a boil. Then, add sugar and heat on low to simmer the syrup for 10-15 minutes. Taste to see if more sugar is needed. Set aside.

To Prepare the fillings:
In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together. Roll into 20 equal balls, about 1 teaspoon each. Set aside.

To prepare the Dough:
Place glutinous flour in a large bowl, add hot water into the flour, a little at a time. Once the dough slightly cool down, knead it until nice and smooth. Divided into 20 equal balls.

To Prepare the Dumplings:
Lightly flour both hands and flatten a piece of dough in your palm. Place a piece of sesame filling in the middle (use chopstick to pick the filling up to keep the dough clean). Pinch the edges to seal the dumpling. Gently roll dumpling in your palms to form a ball shape. Repeat with the rest of the dough pieces and fillings.

To Assemble:
Bring a pot of water to boil, cook the dumplings until they flow on top and water return to a boil. Remove dumplings with a slotted spoon. Serve with ginger syrup. Enjoy!