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Best Qingtuan in San Francisco

“Made with grass that's only edible in early spring, qingtuan appears around the Qingming Festival as a seasonal delicacy.”

Qingtuan

What the real thing tastes like

Qīngtuán (traditional Chinese: 青糰; simplified Chinese: 青团), also written as tsingtuan, is a green-colored dumpling originating from Jiangnan and common throughout China. It is made of glutinous rice mixed with Chinese mugwort or barley grass. It is usually filled with sweet red or black bean paste. The exact technique for making qingtuan is quite complicated and the grass involved is only edible in the early spring, so it is typically only available around the time of the Qingming Festival (April 4 or 5), with which the rice cake has become associated. Nowadays, qingtuan sold in most convenience stores in China are made of glutinous rice mixed with matcha. Modern versions use a wider variety of fillings, such as meat floss or salted egg yolk. Much of the qingtuan consumed in China is prepared and consumed as street food from local vendors.

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Qingtuan is a luminous green dumpling that arrives each spring like a seasonal promise. Made from glutinous rice infused with Chinese mugwort or barley grass, it carries the flavor and texture of early-season forage — delicate, slightly herbaceous, fleeting. Traditionally filled with sweet red or black bean paste, these dumplings have become inseparable from the Qingming Festival, though modern versions now embrace salted egg yolk, meat floss, and matcha variations. You'll find them pressed into your hands by street vendors across China, temporary treasures available only when the grass is young.

Order it here when it has

  • seasonal availability creates anticipation
  • complex flavor from fresh forage
  • versatile modern fillings
  • accessible street vendor tradition

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