Grandma's Tangyuan (奶奶湯圓)

Dumplings: So many varieties, all delicious. The first of many dumpling recipes here on No Free Lunch, is my Grandma's (relatively) famous tangyuan - glutinous rice flour dumplings. These easy-to-make dumplings combine the traditional Chinese tangyuan - which translates to "soup rounds" - with an American favorite- peanut butter. The peanut butter adds a crunchy texture to the otherwise soft dumplings.

Ingredients

• 1 pound glutinous rice flour
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
• 2 tsp sugar

Instructions

To make the dough, combine the flour and water in a large mixing bowl. Use your fingers to work the mixture into a dough. You'll notice that it is firmer than regular bread dough. In a separate bowl, mix the peanut butter and sugar thoroughly. 

To form the dumplings, break off some of the dough and form it into a small disk in your hands. To get an idea of the size, first make a ball at most 1 inch in diameter, then flatten. When sizing the dumplings, keep in mind that they absorb a lot of water when cooking, and expand. Spoon a small amount of the sweetened peanut butter onto the disk and fold up the edges. Rub the dumpling in your palms until it takes a ball shape.

Place the dumplings on a flat surface, making sure none of them are touching. A non-stick sheet pan is perfect for this. If you are not going to eat the whole batch right away, put the pan in the freezer until the dumplings are no longer sticky. You can then transfer them to a plastic bag and save them for you next majiang night.

To cook the dumplings, bring water to a boil in a saucepan and drop the dumplings in. Cook until the dumplings float. Serve with hot water, soup-style. My batch came out to 31 dumplings, but you will get more if you make them smaller.