During the Lantern Festival, every household consumes sweet-tasting glutinous rice balls called yuanxiao. They are often eaten in a light soup named tangyuan. Yuanxiao are symbolic of the first of full moon of the year and the family get together because of their round shape.

Generally speaking, yuan hsiao are rolled out on bamboo frames whereas tang yuan are kneaded in the palm of the hand.Yuanxiao has many different fillings- pastes of hawthorne, black bean, date, dark and white seamse or sweet osmanthus. In the south, pork, chicken, and vegetable fillings are popular. No matter what the fillings are inside, the generally cooking way is to heat them just long enough so that the outer skin has a delicate and slippery consistency.