Tang Yuan (Sweet Rice Balls with Black Sesame Filling)

An important and auspicious recipe to make during the Lantern Festival is Tang Yuan (汤圆), or Yuan Xiao (元宵). It’s a food that symbolizes harmony and reunion. The Lantern Festival is the 15th day of Chinese New Year, which falls on February 22nd this year. It’s also the last day of the Chinese New Year celebration. Houses and alleys are ornamented with hundreds of well-lit lanterns of all sizes, shapes, and colors. The streets are filled with performers on stilts, dragon dancers, street entertainers, and food vendors, a celebratory pandemonium that’s an expression of hope for a healthy and prosperous New Year.