Growing up as a child, one of my favorite memories was the Lantern Festival. Not only is the Lantern Festival part of the Chinese New Year celebration, but it also symbolizes the first full moon of the new year based on the Chinese calendar. My family and I always celebrate this holiday by watching the full moon together. In honor of this holiday you will find temples, houses and streets decorated with beautifully lit lanterns. On the actual day of the Lantern Festival, children are always having the most fun solving riddles together and visiting the local temples or neighbors homes with a lit paper lantern. This celebration would not be complete without eating freshly made “lantern” balls, which is a dessert made out of glutinous rice.
Last month, I celebrated the Lantern Festival with my two boys and many other Chinese families in the City of El Monte. The City of El Monte and the La Jaja Kids Foundation hosted a half-day family event filled with games, lantern design contests, food trucks, live performances and fireworks. I am also an active Board Member for the La Jaja Kids Foundation and recently co-hosted a food event called “Making Your Own Lantern Balls,” teaching children how to create lantern balls from scratch. To make this experience more appealing for children I asked them to create their own “edible” lanterns. The best part about combining arts & crafts with food is that you get to eat your creation afterwards — the kids absolutely loved this part!!! Below is the recipe on how you can make your very own lantern ball desserts at home. I hope you enjoy them!
INGREDIENTS:
1 bag (16 oz) Glutinous rice flour
8 oz hot water
4 oz cold water , plus 2 Tb. cold water
Optional: Food Coloring
DIRECTIONS:
1.In a medium-size pan, mix in flour with hot water. Stir until water is well mixed with flour.
2. Add 4 oz cold water to the pan and knead by hand until dough becomes soft and moist. If needed, add another 2 Tb. of water to help make the dough even more moist.
*Note: If you want to add food coloring to the dough now is a good time. Add about 3-4 drops of the food coloring to the water, and not directly into the dough.
3. Cut the dough into four pieces, and roll each piece into two long strips. Tear the strip into tiny pieces, about 1 teaspoon each, and roll them into balls.
4. Heat a pot of water, throw the balls into boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes. Season with honey to taste. If you have dry osmanthus flower, you can add this to the dish for a flowery aromatic flavor.
