Qingtuan (青团) - Mugwort Mochi

STEP 1: Make the red bean paste (or grab a package of store bought paste)

1. Use store bought, ready-made red bean paste filling, or make your own by using our recipes--either our Instant Pot Red Bean Paste or our red bean paste recipe made on the stove.
2. Just know the Instant Pot red bean paste recipe will make 3x the amount needed for this qingtuan recipe. The good news is you can freeze the extra for other red bean treats. 
3. You need 15 balls of red bean paste, each weighing 25g (about 1½ tablespoons). To prepare them for the qingtuan, roll the cooled red bean paste into smooth balls. If desired, you can use less, as many people enjoy the texture of the mochi dough more than the filling.

STEP 2: Make the mugwort puree

1. Note: I made double the amount of mugwort puree actually needed for this recipe, since my blender can’t properly puree smaller amounts. Feel free to use half the recipe, or do what I did, which is freeze the other half of the puree to use later. You can use this puree to color dough, in soups, or to make a double batch of these qingtuan to share with friends.
2. Wash the mugwort leaves a few times until the water is clear. Drain and set aside.
3. Bring 6 cups of water along with 1 teaspoon of salt to a boil in a medium pot, and blanch the  mugwort leaves for 30 seconds. Quickly remove them and transfer to an ice bath to cool them quickly and lock in the bright green color.
4. Once cooled, squeeze them gently to release excess water—there’s no need to squeeze them completely dry. Puree them in your blender along with ¼-½ cup of water (the water helps yield a smooth puree). With these steps, I ended up with about 540g of mugwort puree. Don’t let the mugwort sit out too long before mixing the dough, or it will lose that beautiful green color.

STEP 3: Make the dough

1. In a medium mixing bowl, use a rubber spatula to stir the wheat starch with 1/2 cup (120ml) boiling water, stirring until a dough ball forms. (The water must be boiling.) Set aside.
2. In a separate large mixing bowl, add the mugwort puree. If you made the full recipe, you’ll need to halve it, about 270g.
3. Add the sweet glutinous rice flour, lard (or butter), powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Knead by hand until well combined, but slightly dry. Add the wheat starch dough, and knead until the dough is smooth and an even bright green color.
4. It should be wet enough that when you pinch off a piece, it doesn’t crack, but dry enough that it can hold its shape. If it’s too dry, knead in 1 teaspoon of water at a time until it’s softened. If it’s too wet, knead in 1 tablespoon of sweet rice flour at a time.
5. Ultimately, the dough is very forgiving! Your goal is to be able to seal them tightly around the filling. Once cooked, wetter dough will be gooey in texture, and drier dough will be chewier. I prefer chewy!
6. The dough should weigh around 735g. Divide the dough into 15 pieces with each weight about 50g. Roll them into round balls, and cover to prevent them from drying out during assembly.

STEP 4: Assemble the qingtuan

1. Prepare your steamer with enough water for 10 minutes of steaming on high heat (just ensure that if you are using a bamboo steamer the water level won’t touch the qingtuan). Prepare 15 3x3-inch squares of parchment paper to place each qingtuan on.
2. Take a dough ball, and make an indent in the center with your finger. Hollow out a deep well by pressing down and out, using your fingers to create a well.
3. The sides can’t be too thin—the well should be just wide and deep enough to fit the ball of red bean paste filling. Place the red bean filling inside, then gently squeeze the opening closed, pinching the seam together tightly. Make sure the open seam is closed and roll it the qingtuan between your palms to smooth and round it out before putting it on a square of parchment paper.

STEP 5: Steam the qingtuan

1. Pre-boil the water in the steamer. You’re ready to steam the qingtuan once the water boils and you have a steamer rack filled with qingtuan, spaced at least ½-inch apart.
2. Cover and steam them for 10 minutes using high heat. Remove from the heat immediately (don’t over steam them, as they will burst).
3. Brush each one with a very light coating of oil to lock in the moisture and prevent them from cracking and drying.