TANG YUAN FOR WINTER SOLSTICE FESTIVAL

The Chinese celebrate T'ung Jie or the Winter Solstice Festival today.  It is a time to eat Tang Yuan or Rice Balls.  According to my mum, eating the Tang Yuan would symbolise adding another year to our age. 

Here is an article about housewives in Penang learning to make healthy Tang Yuan.

50 learn to make healthy rice balls

By JOSEPHINE JALLEH
josephine@thestar.com.my
 
GEORGE TOWN: Over 50 housewives and residents turned up at a cooking class to learn to make healthy tang yuan (glutinous rice balls) using natural extracts as colouring.

They were taught by cooking expert Ch’ng Mun Hong to extract the colours of the pumpkin, beetroot, pandan leaf and Japanese purple sweet potato to colour the rice balls.

Ch’ng first demonstrated making the rice balls that were filled with either lotus seed paste, black sesame seed paste or crushed peanuts. The rice balls were later coated in shredded coconut.

After the demonstration, the participants attempted to make the rice balls with Ch’ng’s guidance.

Penang Wanita MCA chief Tan Cheng Liang, who was present at the event at the Bukit Bendera MCA division premises in Air Itam here yesterday, said the Winter Solstice Festival on Dec 22 was celebrated to show gratitude for the blessings from heaven and God for providing food.

“The round shape of the tang yuan also symbolises perfect health, family, love, society and country.

“The rice ball is also a reminder that we are now a year older and should behave better in the coming year,” she said.

Tan also urged the Federal and state governments to look into all areas related to people’s health.

“The rate of sicknesses especially cancer and diabetes is on the rise.

“The Health Ministry should have healthy diets for students and look into the manufacture of food to ensure low-sugar content,” she said.
Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/12/19/nation/7652415&sec=nation