Qingtuan (青团, mugwort rice balls with red bean)
Green, chewy glutinous rice balls coloured with mugwort and filled with red bean paste
Qingtuan are the taste of spring across Jiangnan: in Shanghai, Hangzhou and the water towns like Wuzhen, steamers of them appear in March and April, and families take them on Qingming tomb-sweeping visits. The dough gets its deep green colour and grassy, slightly bitter scent from young mugwort leaves blanched and blended into glutinous rice flour. Steamed and brushed with oil, the balls are glossy, soft and stretchy, with a smooth sweet red bean centre. Eat them warm or at room temperature with green tea. Qingtuan is naturally egg-free: glutinous rice flour mixed with hot water and mugwort purée forms a pliable dough that steams firm, so no binder is needed. Buy lard-free red bean paste or make your own. Chef's tip: a pinch of soda in the blanching water keeps the mugwort bright green; the common mistake is leaving it out, which gives an olive-grey dough.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
- 5 ½ oz fresh young mugwort leavesor 10 g mugwort powder
- 1 pinch bicarbonate of soda
- 9 oz glutinous rice flour
- 1 ¾ oz rice flour
- 1 oz sugar
- ¼ cup hot waterabout
- 2 tbsp neutral oilplus extra for brushing
For the filling
- 10 ½ oz sweet red bean pastelard-free
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Bring a pan of water to the boil with 1 pinch bicarbonate of soda. Blanch 5 ½ oz fresh young mugwort leaves for 1 minute until bright green, then drain and plunge into iced water.
1 minStep 2: Squeeze the leaves dry and blend them with ¼ cup hot water into a smooth purée. If using powder, simply mix it with the hot water.
Step 3: Mix 9 oz glutinous rice flour, 1 ¾ oz rice flour and 1 oz sugar. Pour in the hot purée and stir, then knead in 2 tbsp neutral oil until the dough is smooth, bright green and as soft as an earlobe.
Step 4: Roll 10 ½ oz sweet red bean paste into 12 balls of 25 g each, and divide the dough into 12 pieces.
Step 5: Flatten a piece of dough into a cup, put a ball of filling inside, pinch it closed and roll it smooth. Repeat.
Step 6: Set the balls on oiled parchment in a steamer, spaced apart, and steam over boiling water for 10–12 minutes until glossy and slightly translucent.
12 minStep 7: Brush with a little oil straight away so they stay shiny and do not stick. Serve warm or cool the same day.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 64 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does qingtuan (青团, mugwort rice balls with red bean) take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 50 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of bicarbonate of soda?
- Baking powder, three times the amount (the bake may taste slightly different).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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