Sweet Sesame Glutinous Rice Dumplings in Syrup

1. Prepare the filling

To make the filling, start by combining ½ cup of black sesame seed powder and ½ cup of firmly packed dark brown sugar in a bowl. Pour in 3 ounces of hot, melted lard and mix everything together with chopsticks until well combined. Place this mixture in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight to let it firm up.

2. Prepare the dough

In a large bowl, mix 1.5 cups of glutinous rice powder with 0.75 cups of boiling water. Stir the mixture with chopsticks until it cools down enough to handle. Once it’s cool, knead the dough for about 7 minutes, or until it becomes resilient and doesn’t stick to your hands.

3. Shape the dumplings

Roll the dough into a log and cut it into small pieces. On a clean work surface, shape each piece into a small ball. Keep the dough pieces sprinkled with a bit of rice powder to prevent them from sticking to each other. Take each ball of dough, flatten it slightly, and place a small portion of the refrigerated sesame filling in the center. Carefully seal the filling inside by wrapping the dough around it and rolling it back into a ball.

4. Cook the dumplings

To cook the dumplings, bring 3.5 cups of cold water to a boil in a pot and add 0.5 cups of white sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Gently drop the filled dumplings into the boiling water. Once they float to the surface, reduce the heat and let them simmer for another 5 to 7 minutes to ensure they are cooked through.

5. Serve the dumplings

Finally, serve the dumplings in bowls along with the sweet syrup from the pot. The dumplings should be chewy, the filling sweet and grainy, and the soup faintly sweet.