ningbo tangyuan—the traditional chinese new year dessert symbolizing good fortune, the versatile food that could be sweet or savory, meaty or vegetarian. -k8凯发官网
汤圆是我国的传统美食，过年吃汤圆是中国人的传统习俗，这道美食形如“羊脂白玉”，牵动了多少宁波人期盼团圆的心……
tangyuan (glutinous rice balls) is a traditional chinese dessert. eating tangyuan during chinese new year is a long-standing chinese tradition. for the people of ningbo, the pearly, tender rice balls are a symbol of festive reunion.
宁波人最钟爱的还是猪油汤圆
ningbo people’s favorite: sweet tangyuan with lard-and-sesame filling
宁波汤圆作为一道美食，早已家喻户晓，它不仅是一种文化符号，也是人们熟悉的味道和割舍不断的传统。
ningbo’s tangyuan, as one of china’s best known traditional holiday foods, is part of a well-loved, time-honored tradition, as well as a cultural symbol.
每逢冬至、春节、元宵等传统佳节，一碗地道的猪油汤圆寄托了人们对未来生活的美好愿望。冬至吃汤圆又叫“冬至圆”。民间有“吃了汤圆大一岁之说”。
at winter solstice, chinese new year, and lantern festival, people eat a bowl of sweet tangyuan to invite good fortune into their lives. in ningbo, there is an old saying: “every time we eat tangyuan, we are getting a year older.” tangyuan eaten during winter solstice is called dongzhiyuan (winter solstice rice balls).
说起宁波汤圆，就不得不提到“缸鸭狗”。色白如玉、皮薄馅多，懂吃的人会在柔滑细腻的汤圆上，点缀一抹桂花蜜，一口咬下去，汤圆皮糯不粘，馅甜而不腻，这是宁波人小时候熟悉的味道。
when talking about ningbo tangyuan, we must mention gangyagou, the local restaurant brand that has been making authentic ningbo tangyuan for over a century. gangyagou tangyuan are snowy-white and full to bursting with sweet sesame filling. some people like to put a drip of osmanthus flower honey on top of the tangyuan before biting into it. ningbo locals often describe the delicious tangyuan of their childhood as having an outer layer that is slightly chewy but not too sticky, and filling that is sweet but not cloying.
image source: ibaotu
宁海有种咸味“炒圆”
ninghai’s savory “chaoyuan”
在宁海，有一种咸味汤圆颇有特色，宁海人称之为“炒圆”。
in ninghai county, people make chaoyuan, a kind of savory tangyuan.
沙丽娜是土生土长的宁海力洋人，她告诉记者，冬至这天，宁海人几乎家家户户揉糯米粉，搓成圆，配菜炒熟了吃。虽说冬至圆有甜、咸两种，但多数宁海人更喜欢咸咸的炒圆。
sha lina, a local from liyang, ninghai, told us that on winter solstice, almost every household in ninghai would make chaoyuan: they would knead dough with glutinous rice flour, separate the dough into small, round balls, then stir-fry the rice balls with other savory ingredients. although sweet tangyuan are also served at winter solstice, ninghai people prefer their savory chaoyuan.
与有馅的甜圆不同，炒圆用的是无馅的实心圆，用糯米揉成小球状，锅里刷一层薄薄的油，将圆入锅，颠锅炒熟，再等冬笋、香菇、香干、猪肉、胡萝卜、番薯面、大蒜等切丝炒熟后，放入牡蛎肉，一起盖锅焖几分钟即可出锅。
unlike tangyuan, which is usually filled with sweet sesame paste, chaoyuan is made entirely of glutinous rice flour and has no filling. people would coat a wok with a thin layer of cooking oil, stir-fry the chaoyuan until they are thoroughly cooked, then add shredded bamboo shoots, mushrooms, dried tofu, pork, carrots, sweet potato noodles, garlic, and other ingredients. finally, fresh oysters are added into the wok, which is covered to let the ingredients simmer for a few minutes before serving.
包汤圆、煮汤圆有窍门
tips for making and cooking tangyuan
包汤圆怎么包，窍门也有不少。
there are several tips for making great tangyuan.
“包猪油芝麻馅的甜汤圆，先得把馅搓成一个个小圆子，冷水揉粉成团后揉成长条，再均匀截取适当大小的块，嵌入甜馅揉搓成圆球。”鄞州天港禧悦酒店面点主管蒋国权介绍说。
jiang guoquan, the head pastry chef of yinzhou teckon ciel hotel, demonstrated how to make sweet tangyuan with lard and sesame fillings. after mixing the ingredients, the filling should be rolled into small, round portions. the next step is to make the outer layer of glutinous rice dough. cold water must be used when preparing the dough of glutinous rice flour. roll the dough into long strips, then slice each strip into equal portions. wrap the filling in the dough, then roll the tangyuan into a perfectly round shape.
包咸汤圆就一定要用热水揉粉成团，增加面团的黏度，再嵌入调制好的咸馅。这个咸馅也要注意尽量处理干燥，再与其他馅料和匀。时间允许的话，可以把调制好的馅料分成小块，放冰箱冷冻下，包起来就更容易了。
to make savory tangyuan, hot water must be used when forming the dough to increase the dough’s viscosity. the subsequent steps are the same as making sweet tangyuan, except that savory filling is used instead of sweet. make sure the savor filling is adequately dried before being wrapped in the dough. for easier wrapping, separate the filling into smaller bits, then freeze them in the refrigerator.
众所周知，水煮汤圆一定要沸水下锅。不过，如何让油炸汤圆不炸锅，这就有窍门了。“最简单的做法是在揉粉的时候加点糖。”蒋国权说，用来炸汤圆的油温控制在150℃以下，手掌平放在热油表面约十厘米的高度，手心感受到发烫了，就可以将汤圆入锅了。“汤圆入油锅一分钟后关小火，‘养’3分钟左右，待汤圆表皮呈金黄色，就可以出锅了。”
when cooking tangyuan, the water must be heated to a boil before the tangyuan is added. deep-frying tangyuan is harder, as oil splatter can be difficult to avoid. “the easiest way to prevent oil splattering is to add some sugar when kneading the dough.” jiang guoquan suggested keeping the oil temperature below 150°c. one simple way to gauge the oil temperature without a thermometer is to place you palm 10 centimeters above the surface of the oil. at 150°c, the air at that height will feel slightly scalding to the skin. “after deep-frying the tangyuan at 150°c for one minute, turn down the heat and fry gently for about 3 minutes. when the outer surface turns golden, the tangyuan is ready to serve. “
汤圆虽美味，不能贪吃哦
don’t binge on tangyuan even though it is delicious!“吃汤圆切记不要急于入口，会灼伤口腔，还容易黏在食道上。但也不能等冷了再吃，冷吃不易消化。”高级技师、高级营养师、鄞州天港禧悦酒店厨师长王轩宇表示，“吃汤圆时要相应减少主食量，当餐或当日也要少吃点油。宜用低脂高纤维的食物来配合它，比如豆类、蔬菜类、菌类和藻类食物。”
“if you eat hot tangyuan too quickly, it might burn your mouth and bits of glutinous rice dough may get stuck in the esophagus. on the other hand, cold tangyuan is difficult to digest, so don’t let it sit for too long,” said wang xuanyu, senior nutritionist and head chef at yinzhou teckon ciel hotel. “if you are eating tangyuan, you might want to reduce your intake of carbs and fat for that day, while choosing foods that are low in fat and high in fiber, such as beans, vegetables, fungi, and algae foods.”
news source: ningbo evening news
reporters: wu zhenning, zhang haiyu, wang yuening
translator: mei jie
proofreader: zhao qingchuan
editor: xin xiaoying
senior editor: lei junhu
editorial director: ren shanwei
chief editor: chen jianhong