Heat a small pan on medium heat, add black sesame seeds to the dry pan, then toast them for about 1 minute, or until it has a nutty aroma.

Transfer black sesame seeds to a food processor, then grind until it forms a rough paste. You might need to give your food processor breaks to prevent overheating. Add sugar, salt, and coconut oil then grind again until well combined.

Transfer to a bowl and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, or until slightly hardened so it's easier to handle later.

While the filling is cooling, make the dough. Put the sweet rice flour into a mixing bowl. Slowly add in the HOT water, while stirring with chopsticks to form a dough. Knead together until it forms a smooth Playdoh/clay consistency. If the dough is too dry & won’t come together, add a little water at a time. If it’s too wet, add a little more flour. Keep in mind, the dough can’t be too wet, or it will not hold its shape. Cover dough with a damp towel.

Optional but recommended: Boil some water in a small pot, take about a teaspoon of dough & form a disk. Add it to the boiling water and cook the piece of dough until it floats. Scoop it out and knead it to the rest of the dough until combined.

For ube dough (optional): Divide the dough in half, then add ube extract to one half and cover the unused half with a damp paper towel to prevent it drying out. Use gloves, then knead the ube dough until it’s an even color.

Roll the doughs into logs, then divide them into 6 balls each (12 balls total). Keep the unused dough balls covered with a damp paper towel while assembling.

Take out the filling - it should be slightly hard, but still workable. If it's too firm to scoop, let it warm slightly at room temperature. Roll about a teaspoon of filling into balls. Then take each dough ball and flatten into about 2-inches disks. Add the filling to the center, and close the dough over the filling. Roll the ball around in your hands until it’s smooth and round. Double check there are no air pockets or broken seams, otherwise, they’ll burst while cooking. At this point, you can freeze them. See notes below for details.

While you finish rolling, make sweet ginger syrup. In a small saucepan, combine water, ginger, brown sugar, and salt. Heat on medium-high until it’s boiling, then reduce heat to medium-low to simmer for 10-20 minutes, occasionally stirring until the brown sugar has completely dissolved. Taste & adjust - if you want a stronger ginger flavor, simmer longer. If you want it sweeter, add more brown sugar, but keep in mind the tang yuan is already sweet too. Turn off heat and cover with a lid to keep warm.

Bring a separate medium pot of water to a boil. Add the tangyuan in batches if needed because they will expand when cooked. Stir immediately to prevent them from sticking. Once the water comes to a boil, add a 1/2 cup of water to the pot. Repeat this step two more times ( 3 times total) - this will give enough time for the sugar and coconut oil to melt.

Remove tangyuan and divide them into serving bowls. Ladle the sweet ginger soup and garnish with more toasted black sesame seeds. Enjoy immediately!