What can best stand for the very first bite of spring in Suzhou? That must be qingtuan, or eco-friendly glutinous rice rounds with paddings. Presently, the initial set of eco-friendly spheres has appeared on the marketplace at Fengmeng Hengjie葑门横街.
The emerald hue of the rice spheres is stemmed from the bromegrass that expands perfectly in the farmlands and shores of Jiangnan, a region located south of the Yangtze River. When the leaves are squashed to remove their eco-friendly juice, it is integrated with glutinous rice flour to develop a dough. The rice rounds are then packed with various dental fillings and steamed, sending out an unique herbaceous scent and boasting a soft, sticky structure. In addition to bromegrass, other herbs such as mugwort, affine cudweed, and dandelion fallen leaves are likewise made use of in the manufacturing of the eco-friendly juice.
The residents prefer a little wonderful preferences, so the environment-friendly balls are typically stuffed with red bean paste or sesame paste. Over the years, qingtuan with novel paddings including salty egg yolk and dried out meat floss, purple sweet potato, 5 sorts of nuts and seeds, and increased paste have been presented at Fengmeng Hengjie, varying from 1 to 6 yuan each.