老字号：一碗成都人吃了100多年的汤圆，风风雨雨吹不垮每一代传人手中握着的甜蜜配方 | Glutinous Dumpling

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“正月里来正月正，圆圆的汤圆碗里盛。”

The fifteenth day of the Lunar Calendar, also known as the Lantern Festival, is the last day for all the Spring Festival celebrations, making it time to enjoy the indispensable festival delicacy: rice glue balls.

正月十五元宵节是春节的最后一天，也是各种庆祝活动的最后一天。春节必吃的美食也剩下最后一项——汤圆。

It is called "tangyuan" in the south, and "yuanxiao" in the north of China. The popular dessert originated from the Song dynasty around the city of Ningbo in Zhejiang Province. It's one of the favorite dishes at various Chinese festivals, as the round shape represents reunion.

南方称汤圆，北方称元宵。这种糯米粉小团子起源于宋朝，在现在的浙江省宁波市附近兴起，是一种广受喜爱的甜食。人们认为，汤圆的外形寓意团团圆圆，因而人们在各种节庆都喜欢煮汤圆。

Li Mingcheng, 63 years old, has been making rice glue balls for over 40 years. His snack bar brand "Laitangyuan" was established over 100 years ago. Li is the leader of the sixth generation of the family.

今年六十三岁的李明成煮了四十多年汤圆。他所在的成都“赖汤圆”小吃店屹立上百年，传到他手上已经是第六代。

"Every kid was looking forward to the Spring Festival. I'd sneak into the kitchen to get bacon and pork ribs. Those were all happy memories." Long ago, rice glue balls were "luxury food". People only make them during the Spring Festival, when every household would queue to use the mill for grinding the rice. Neighbors would gather to help each other out. It was such a lively scene. Aside from the rare dishes like meat and poultry, the rice glue balls were also an important part of Li's childhood Spring Festival memories.

“小时候我们都是盼着过年。从菜板上偷腊肉吃啊，偷骨头吃啊，都是现在我觉得很幸福很幸福的事。”旧时，汤圆也是稀罕物，只有过年的时候家家户户才会动手做，一整条街都在排队磨水磨，一个磨借来借去。街坊四邻聚在一起，互相帮忙，热闹不已。这让汤圆和饭桌上令人嘴馋的鸡鸭鱼肉一起，成为李明成多年春节美好记忆的一部分。

The hand-making procedures are pretty complicated. And there are differences between "tangyuan" and "yuanxiao". The wet-milled rice flour makes the dough for "tangyuan" smoother and softer. According to Li, the rice glue balls should be "smooth as silk, and white as marble".

全手工制作汤圆的步骤比较繁琐，且有南北之分。搓汤圆皮，北方用干粉，南方用水磨粉。水磨粉做的汤圆，吃起来口感更湿润，而且包出来的汤圆“细如绸，白如玉”。

"The wrapper had better be made of rice from the Northeast China. It has the best texture," says Li. After being soaked in water for 24 hours, the rice is wet-milled to make dough. Colorful spinach or sweet potato juice is often used for decoration.

“做汤圆皮，最好用东北大米。东北大米糯度好有韧劲。”李明成说。糯米浸泡24小时后，用湿磨磨成浆，做成面团。为了美观，还可以用菠菜汁、红苕汁给汤圆粉染色。

For the filling, black sesame is a classic choice. It's usually the mixture of aromatic sesame, sugar and lard. Some people prefer it with the extra walnuts, peanuts and brown sugar.

黑芝麻是汤圆馅的经典之选。香浓的小粒芝麻，加上糖和猪油共同熬制成为馅料。有的还会往里加核桃仁、花生和红糖。

When the balls are well wrapped, you put them in the boiling water. Turn down the fire when they float up and keep the water simmering for another couple of minutes. It melts with one bite, and the sweet taste flows right into your mouth.

包好汤圆之后，沸水下锅。待汤圆浮起，微火煮一煮就可起锅。咬一口，软糯香甜，浓浓的芝麻香随着馅料在口中四溢。

With a belly full of rice glue balls, families make the best of the remaining holiday and go to see lantern shows. In the iridescent lights, people wish for a whole year as happy as today: "We should eat well, play well, see beautiful things, and live a wonderful life." says Li. Those sweet times would always be associated with rice glue balls and happiness at the festival.

吃好了汤圆，人们便抓住节日的尾巴，全家人一起出门看灯。流光溢彩中，人们祈祷新的一年中，每一天都能像今天这样幸福、快乐：“吃好，耍好，还要看好，过得滋滋润润的。”吃汤圆的美食记忆，也和这样的快乐联系在一起。

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Cameraman:Tan Di

Film editor:Tan Di, Lu Gengrui 

Story written by: Zhu Siqi

English editor: Josh McNally

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