Sweet Peanut Dumplings with Ginger Syrup 薑汁糖水花生湯圓

1. In a bowl, mix ground peanuts, sugar and peanut butter together until well incorporated. The texture should be slightly crumbly but will stay together if you press it together.

2. With a spoon, divide the peanut mixture into 8 portions (see below). Scoop one portion out and roughly shape it into a small log, then divide into 3 pieces and roll each into a ball. Make sure to press tightly when you are rolling them into the balls so they do not fall apart easily later on. Repeat until you have 24 balls.

3. In another bowl, mix the glutinous flour and water together. Stir until thoroughly incorporated, reaching a thick, sticky consistency. You should be able to roll a piece in a ball without it sticking to your hand too much.

4. Divide the flour into 24 balls. The easiest way is to dump it onto a piece of parchment paper and cut it half with a knife, then each half further into halves, until you have 24 pieces.

5. Flatten each piece of glutinous dough in your palm and place a peanut ball in the centre. Gently wrap the dough around the peanut filling and then roll into a ball. Repeat until all 24 balls are rolled and set aside, leaving room between each dumpling.

6. Begin making the ginger syrup by adding ginger, water and sugar to a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes, until syrup has reduced a little.

7. Meanwhile, bring another pot of water to a rolling boil and drop the dumplings in to cook. Gently stir occasionally so they are not sticking to the bottom of the pot. The dumplings are done when they float.

8. Divide ginger syrup into 4 bowls. Remove the cooked dumplings with a slotted spoon and place into the bowls to serve.

Note:
To freeze dumplings, after step 5, place the dumplings (leave room between each dumpling) on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place into the freezer for at least one hour before placing them into a freezer bag to freeze. To cook from frozen, just boil as you would when they are fresh, they are done when they float!

Adapted from Rasa Malaysia.