say it look like the seeds in an abacus and signifies wealth as in Chinese it’s named “ 算盘子”. 算 means calculate, 盘子 means abacus seeds?? Which means there are many seeds to count, which shows that you have a lot of “money” to count. Represent abundance of wealth. The circular seeds also symbolise family reunion, 团团圆圆。perfect dish for CNY.
The abacus seeds is made from yam and tapioca flour. It is chewy and soft at the same time. It is cooked savoury, my version adds black fungus, shiitake mushroom and dried cuttlefish to give a crunchy texture. Savoury with the fragrant of yam aftertaste. So delicious.

I actually like mine to be just the steamed yam abacus seed and add white sugar. This is not normal as it is suppose to eat savoury, but I like it with sugar since yam is also sweet.. maybe you all can try if you know how to make this dish. Before cooking it savory, try coating with sugar, maybe you’ll like it 😂 kids will definitely love it coz I always eat it when young 😂🤣