FEBRUARY 2021 71Transfer 16 chilled sesame balls to a plate.
Working with 1 dough piece at a time, roll
dough piece into a ball using your hands.
Using your thumb, make a deep indenta-
tion in ball. Place 1 sesame ball in indenta-
tion; spread dough evenly around sesame
ball to enclose. Using your hands, gently
roll into a smooth ball without any seams
or cracks. Place rice ball on reserved
floured baking sheet. Repeat process with
remaining 15 dough pieces and remaining
15 sesame balls. If dough begins to crack
when assembling, wet hands with water,
shake off excess, and gently knead dough
piece until pliable.- Add assembled rice balls to boiling
water, and gently stir to prevent balls from
sticking to one another and bottom of
pot. Cook, gently stirring occasionally and
adjusting heat as necessary to maintain a
gentle boil, until rice balls expand slightly
and rise to the surface and skin of rice
balls appears almost translucent, about
15 minutes. Meanwhile, repeat step 3 with
remaining dough portion and remaining
16 chilled sesame balls. - Using a slotted spoon, remove cooked
balls from water, and transfer to a large
heatproof bowl; pour 1^1 / 2 cups boiling
water from pot over balls to keep warm. - Repeat steps 4 and 5 using remaining
assembled rice balls. Discard remaining
boiling water in pot. Bring remaining 6
cups water to a gentle boil in a separate
large pot over high. Add lump sugar; cook,
stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves,
about 2 minutes. - Spoon 4 rice balls into each of 8 small
serving bowls. Ladle sweet soup evenly
on top.
NOTE Find opaque white lump sugar and
sweet glutinous rice flour at Chinese
grocery stores or online.
Longevity Noodles with Oyster,
Shiitake, and Enoki
Mushrooms
TOTAL 35 MIN; SERVES 6 TO 8The longer the better to symbolize lon-
gevity, noodles are a must when celebrat-
ing Lunar New Year. Cutting the noodles
is strictly forbidden because cutting is a
metaphor for shortening a life, so twirl
the long strands to serve and eat. A mix
of torn and sliced mushrooms (also a
symbol of health and longevity) adds a
variety of textures and a bite of umami to
this quick-cooking dish.3 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp. doubanjiang (Szechuan chile
bean paste)
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. neutral oil (such as
vegetable oil), divided
1 medium-size yellow onion, thinly
sliced (about 1^1 / 4 cups)
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled
and minced (about 2 Tbsp.)
11 / 2 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic cloves
4 cups torn and sliced mixed
mushrooms (such as fresh enoki
mushrooms, fresh oyster
mushrooms, and rehydrated dried
shiitake mushrooms) (about 11 oz.)
1 lb. fresh lo mein noodles, prepared
according to pkg. directions
1 / 2 cup chopped scallions (white and
green parts)
1 / 2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
(optional)
Furikake (optional)- Stir together soy sauce, sesame oil,
doubanjiang, and rice vinegar in a small
bowl; set aside. - Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a large
wok over high until shimmering and
fragrant. Add onion, ginger, and garlic;
stir-fry until mixture is fragrant and onion
begins to soften, about 30 seconds.
Transfer mixture to a small bowl; set
aside. Do not wipe wok clean. - Add remaining 1 tablespoon neutral oil
to wok over high. Add mushrooms; stir-
fry until softened, about 1 minute and 30
seconds. Add cooked noodles, soy sauce
mixture, and cooked onion mixture;
cook, tossing and stirring constantly,
until noodles have absorbed sauce,
about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Transfer to a large serving dish; top with
scallions and, if desired, cilantro. Garnish
with furikake.
WINE Earthy, darkly fruity red: 2018 Cline
Ancient Vines Mourvèdre
NOTE Find doubanjiang and furikake at
Chinese grocery stores or online.
Yin-Yang Tang Yuan (Sweet
Sticky Rice Balls in Soup)
ACTIVE 1 HR 30 MIN; SERVES 8
This sweet dessert soup is typically
served during reunions because the round
rice balls symbolize harmony and togeth-
erness. To keep the dough moistened
throughout the assembly process, cover it
with a damp towel.
1 /^2 cup black sesame seeds
5 Tbsp. refined coconut oil, melted,
divided
1 /^3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups sweet glutinous rice flour
(such as Erawan) (about 7^1 /^2 oz.)
1 /^4 cup white rice flour (about^3 /^4 oz.),
plus more for dusting
7 cups water, divided
1 /^4 cup opaque white lump sugar (such
as South Word Brand)
- Using a mortar and pestle, grind ses-
ame seeds. Add 3 tablespoons melted
coconut oil, and mash until a slightly
coarse paste forms, 5 to 7 minutes. Trans-
fer mixture to a small bowl; stir in granu-
lated sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons
melted coconut oil. Chill, uncovered, just
until sesame mixture holds it shape when
rolled, about 7 minutes. Roll sesame mix-
ture into 32 balls (1 level teaspoon each);
arrange on a baking sheet. Chill at least 10
minutes or until ready to use. - While sesame balls chill, lightly dust
a baking sheet with white rice flour; set
aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil
over high. While water comes to a boil,
stir together glutinous rice flour and white
rice flour in a large heatproof bowl. Stir in
1 cup water until flour mixture absorbs all
water. Knead until a smooth ball forms,
about 3 minutes. Divide dough in half. - Place 1 dough portion on a work sur-
face very lightly dusted with white rice
flour; cover remaining dough portion
with a very damp paper towel. Gently
roll dough portion on work surface into
a 16-inch-long rope (about 1 inch thick).
Dust knife blade with white rice flour, and
slice rope crosswise into 16 (1-inch-long)
pieces (^1 / 2 ounce each). Cover dough
pieces with a very damp paper towel.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:
Longevity noodles meant for
twirling (not cutting!); balls of
black sesame–filled sticky rice
make for a soothing, sweet
treat; a plateful of quick-
cooked garlicky greens;
Chang’s spice collection from
her travels across Asia
Soy sauce
courses
through my
veins,
AND MY MOM AND
I WILL STILL TAKE
LITTLE PACKAGES
OF SOY SAUCE
TO SNEAK INTO
RESTAURANTS.,,
,,
—DANIELLE CHANG