Mung Bean Glutinous Rice Balls

Mung Bean Glutinous Rice Balls

　　Mung Bean Glutinous Rice Balls can be found in many places, but those from Huaning have a unique charm. Head down a narrow alley, find a small eatery, and as you wait for the balls to cook, it’s like awaiting the birth of a work of art.

The snow-white, delicate rice balls and the golden, richly scented mung bean paste form an exceptionally colorful, fragrant, and utterly mouthwatering scene. Watch as the owner coats the white rice balls—each about the size of a five-cent coin—with mung bean paste, sprinkles them with sesame seeds, and drizzles them with sweet syrup. It’s enough to make your mouth water.

Since the rice balls are quite large and can’t be eaten in one bite, use chopsticks to hold one and coat it entirely in syrup. Then take a third of the ball, smell its aroma like you would a fine wine—the fragrance of roasted soybean powder instantly fills the air. Pop it into your long-awaited mouth and savor the soft yet chewy texture of the glutinous rice, the fineness of the soybean powder, and the sweetness of the syrup. Truly delicious.

Though mung bean glutinous rice balls may seem simple to make, crafting them well actually requires skill. The key lies in getting the consistency of the syrup just right—too thin and it lacks flavor, too thick and it becomes overly sweet. For a truly delightful treat, go exploring the alleys of Huaning to find them.

According to a friend from Huaning, locals there typically have just two meals a day, with dinner around 4 p.m. When hunger strikes again in the evening, it’s common to gather with colleagues and head to “Dou Tang Xiao Liu” (Bean Soup Xiao Liu) outside the east gate of the city to enjoy bean soup rice noodles. There’s no formal shop—just a stall under a canvas awning, lit by a carbide lamp. Under a rustic stove, a big pot of golden bean soup bubbles away, filling the air with a rich, enticing aroma. The bean soup is made by stir-frying high-quality peas, grinding them into powder, and cooking them with chicken broth, then pouring the mixture over steaming white rice noodles, adding tender pea shoots and seasoning with spicy oil, ginger, garlic, and more. The taste is simply unforgettable.

Bean Soup Rice Noodles are a unique and must-try delicacy among Huaning’s many foods. For those who prefer casual dining, the vendor also offers chicken, plain boiled pork, pea shoots, and braised pig’s head meat, along with a side of pickled vegetables or chicken head, feet, wings, and breast, or pig ears, snouts, tongues, pea shoots, and pickled vegetables. The flavors blend together—fresh, sweet, mild, salty, spicy, sour—all in one dish. As a result, it has become a beloved, affordable snack loved by many. Even today, people still talk about it with relish.

The main ingredients of Bean Soup Rice Noodles are rice noodles and pea flour, specifically a soup made from pea flour mixed with the noodles. First, high-quality peas are sorted through a sieve, washed clean, and boiled in a pot of boiling water for 15 minutes. They’re then scooped out into a basin, covered with a cloth, and stirred every half hour until the moisture evaporates. Next, they’re scooped into the pot in large bowls and dry-roasted in sand until golden and fragrant. The roasted peas are then shelled using a mill, mixed with star anise, tsao-ko, and tangerine peel, and ground into pea flour. Finally, the flour is sifted through a fine yellow-mesh sieve, stored in a large jar, and used as needed. To truly experience the flavor, you’ll have to come to Huaning and try a bowl for yourself.