KUCHING: Whenever the Winter Solstice Festival is around the corner, Yu Hee Kiong would start looking for roasted soya bean powder and crushed peanut from the markets; two important ingredients for the Foo Chow Tang Yuan.
The 64-year-old housewife said there are different versions of Tang Yuan but her family’s favourite would be the dried version or the Foo Chow’s version.
She said the process of making the dried Tang Yuan is similar to those served in sweet soup, except the final step – where the rice balls would be coated with sugar, roasted soya bean powder and crushed peanut and served without soup.
“The dried Tang Yuan is best eaten when it is still warm, otherwise, it would harden quickly at room temperature. I always make a few batches to ensure my family can enjoy soft and chewy rice balls,” she said.
“It is easy to make the Foo Chow rice balls, but the roasted soya bean powder and crushed peanut are hardly available during normal days. So, I only make the traditional dessert once a year,” she said.
Yu, who came from a Foo Chow family, learned the skill of making the rice balls from her late mother and now she is making for her children and grandchildren.
Georgina Chong, President of the Federation of Chinese Associations of Kuching and Samarahan’s women section, said the festival, which is also known as Dong Zhi is a day that represents unity, harmony and a time for family.
She said it is a day for the Chinese to observe the beginning of winter and a reminder that another year has gone by.
“Hence, the whole family would come together to savour the rice balls and according to traditional belief, one grows a year older after eating the ‘tang yuan’,” she said when contacted.