Foodie

Monday, May 17, 2010

Sesame Balls

It is the most delightful moment when a recipe is successful and i can't wait to share.  This will not be possible if i do not have generous friends who have shared many of their tested recipes and tt from Playing With My Food is my 'sifu' who so graciously emailed me this recipe.  Thank you, tt, they were the best, with all the tips provided by you, these balls puffed up so well and they tasted umpteen times better than the dim sum restaurants.  The family prefers the red bean filling and the restaurants strangely make them with either lotus or mung bean paste, so i had to make red bean filling.



Ingredients:


454 g glutinious rice flour
3 tbsp rice flour
2 tsp baking powder
200 g sugar
450 g water
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
1/2 cup potato flakes (the kind used to make mashed potatoes)

Filling:

1 cup red bean
1 - 1 1/2 cups sugar
a pinch of salt

Method:

To prepare the filling:

Wash the red beans and put in the pressure cooker with enough water to cover the beans.

Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, then drain away the water.
Put the drained parboiled red beans back into the pressure cooker and add in 3 cups water.

Close the lid and pressurized for 30 minutes.  Release pressure before opening the lid.

Using a sieve or a slotted spoon, remove the beans into a large microwave-safe bowl.

Add sugar and cook in the microwave on high until mixture is paste.  Start with 5 mins at a time, stirring after every interval.  Reduce the time as the mixture gets drier.

Cool before using.

To prepare the dough:

Mix together glutinious flour, rice flour and baking powder.

Bring water  with sugar, oil  and  salt to the boil, add potato flakes. Stir to dissolve the potato. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the flour and mix until the flour absorbs all of the water.

Rest dough until it's cool enough to handle, then knead to make a smooth dough.(Dough is less pliable if it is kept for later use, perhaps it is only a problem for me cos of where i am - no humidity and i would advice that all the dough should be wrapped)

To make the balls:

wet your hands with water and take a piece of dough.

Wrap the filling and roll in sesame seeds.

Fry until golden,  The frying time should take at least 15-20 mins, if it cooks faster then that the oil is too hot and your balls will not be hollow and will be soft as soon as you take it out of the oil. Press the balls against the wok with the ladle and it will puff up and keep stirring the balls for even browning.

Serves

73 comments:

busygran said...

They look very good indeed. Thank you for sharing your recipes.

Pete said...

Love biting on the aromatic sesame seed when eating this!

Dewi said...

My favorite, they look scrumptious and very tempting.

MaryMoh said...

Mmm...looks very delicious. I love the extra puffed up look. Would love to try this. Thanks for sharing, Lily. Hope you are well.

Joy said...

Those are my favorite. I have to get some everytime I'm in Chinatown.

Nathan said...

thanks for the recipe I have always had problems making the sesame seed balls puff well.

Tuty @ScentofSpice said...

Lily,
Welcome back...
Love these sesame balls. I am going to try the recipe for sure. Thank TT for me, please.

Pauline said...

I was wondering, how do you make the red bean paste without a pressure cooker?

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

Immediately bookmark this recipe, my kids like to eat this, everytime sure order when we take dim sum outside. Thanks for kind sharing.

Unknown said...

pauline

cook red bean with a regular pot over the stovetop but it will take longer for the beans to be soft. Try soaking the beans first before cooking.

MosesOng said...

Lily,

How hot is the oil? 275F? 325? If frying for 15-20 minutes, I would think the sesame get burn easily and if too low of temperature the ball would get oily?

This is my favorite dim sum item! Thanks!

Unknown said...

mosesong

300 = 325 is fine, put in as many of the balls as possible, that will lower the temp. it also depends on the size of the balls you make, if they are big, they might need 15 - 20 minutes but smaller, time would be less

Mary Bergfeld said...

These do look lovely, Lily. Welcome back!. I missed you. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

Talita said...

我喜歡芝麻!這個看起來很好吃!

Leslie said...

These balls do look tasty! And the recipe doesn't seem all that difficult!

Miss B @ Everybody Eats Well in Flanders said...

Oh this is my favourite :)
I have bookmarked so many of ur recipes, I dunno which one to do 1st. Ur currypuffs are still on waiting list ;p

MissB

Nina of Brittany said...

Aunty Lily,

Welcome back...you've been greatly missed!
This is one of my favourite DimSum item too.

Hugs,Nina

Beachlover said...

aunty lily ,your sesame ball skin really look thin and crispy!! the one I make wt sweet potato as skin is really thick..I prefer the thin skin!! I must use your recipe! thanks for sharing!

Cakebrain said...

I love sesame balls! it's always one of the dishes I order at dim sum! looks yummy!

alice said...

What is the potato flake?? same as instant potato powder that make mash potato?? where can i get them? walmart?or asia grocery store?
I love sesame ball especially is filled with red bean. Thank you.

Unknown said...

alice

yes, it is instant mashed potato. it is readily available in all the supermarkets. i got my in Doubletree dollar store.

Gabriel said...

This is great! I have already tried this and successfully make it. Thanks everyone coz my kids really love it!

Carolyn said...

Dear Lily
Thank you so much for sharing, i made the sesame balls today and they were a hit, just like the ones in the dim sum shops. These balls have been a bit of a journey, and I am so glad your recipe worked so well.

Megan said...

It looks very delicious. I love the extra puffed up look. Would love to try this. Thanks for sharing.

Kara said...

I think These balls have been a bit of a journey, and I am so glad your recipe worked so well. thanx for the post.

Samantha said...

Delicious Recipe, I am going to try the recipe for sure. Thank TT for me, please.

Samantha said...

This is good, but how do you keep the balls to stays puff when is cold?
I saw some sesame ball at Asian store that stays puff even when is cold. Please help. Thanks

Unknown said...

samantha

if the balls are fried in medium fire for a longer period, they will remain puffed even when cold.

Michelle said...

Well, I love sesame balls! it's always one of the dishes I order at dim sum! looks yummy! Thanx for the post.

Kristen said...

I was so excited to actually find a recipe for these in English. I wasn't sure exactly how many balls this recipe makes.... I ended up with 16. Thanks for your helpful hints. I'm going to try again.

Victoria said...

Wow, This is my favorite dim sum item! Thanks for the share, looking forward for your next post.

Diane said...

i tried veggie buns before.. there great.. i dont know how to make them.. wa should i use to make them? help plz.. =)

Lynn said...

This is interesting, I will try to your recipe and share it to my mom.
Thank you for sharing it and I'm looking forward to learn more about cooking.

Jane said...

Easy to make and very festive (particularly if you use rasberry or cherry jam).

Katie said...

I never taste a sesame ball, but at least you shared the procedure on how to make it. So if I have my free time ,I'm going to try this one. Thanks

Kayla said...

These are great and so easy to make! Thanks for the brilliant share.

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily,

Yr recipes are always tempting!

Can I use black sesame seeds instead?

Z

Jillian said...

i have some frozen sesame seed balls and i know that you fry them to cook them but i have no oil at this time and cannot get any...it is possible for me to bake them on a cookie sheet instead? would they turn out okay? or would it just be a waste?if anyone has tried this please let me know, or of any other ways to prepare them...thank you!

Unknown said...

jullian

i really don't know, you can try and let me know the outcome.

anyone out there have tried baking, help!!

Unknown said...

Z

you can if you do not have white sesame seeds, a mix of black and white will be very attractive.

Jean said...

Wow, I love the extra puffed up look. Would love to try this. Thanks for sharing, keep it up.

Christy said...

I have made these with her. I love them so much. Makeing them with her brings me so much joy. They really are a pastry that can be made with friends and family. Just be careful of the hot oil!! We put her dog Rufus in the living room just beyond her apartment kitchen so that he wouldn't knock the Wok pan off by accident, thanx for posting.

Jennifer said...

Easy to make and very festive (particularly if you use raspberry or cherry jam)

Brittany said...

These are great and so easy to make! Thanks for the recipe.

catherine said...

hi do you mean 450 g or 450 ml of water?? plse clarify... i also cant wait to try this recipe... my daughter's fav.

Unknown said...

catherine

450g equals 450 ml water.

Sadie said...

Easy to make and very festive (particularly if you use rasberry or cherry jam)

Unknown said...

Girls always look on themselves as proud princesses, with the exception of a small number of either extremely ugly or exceedingly smart ones.

Allison Clark said...

Immediately bookmark this recipe, my kids like to eat this, everytime sure order when we take dim sum outside. Thanks for kind sharing

ondo said...

WoW!!! you have made the great link thanks for shairing it...

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily, thanks for sharing the great recipe , would like to know if possible to make it at night and deep fried the next morning? Will the texture still the same, pls advise and thank you.

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily,
Have tried yr recipe and they tasted delicious but I wonder how u make the skin so thin and crispy?

Gina

gina said...

hi Lily,
hav tried this recipe and they turned out great,but I wonder how u make the skin so thin?

Gina

Unknown said...

gina

To get the sesame balls to puff, use low heat, oil must never reach 160c/320f. When the balls float to the surface, press the balls lightly, continue to press and turn the balls, swirl them around the oil too. The wrapping of the filling has to be even too.

gina said...

Thanks again, will make again soon.

regards,
gina

gina said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
gina said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
gina said...

Hi Lily,
Have tried 2nd time for the sesame balls, the skin is crispy but oily, why is it so? How many grams is 1/2 cup of potato flake and what is the purpose of using it? Pls advise and thanks again.

regards,
Gina

gina said...

Hi Lily,
would like to know 1/2 cup potato flake = ? Grams.What is the purpose of potato flake? Why my sesame balls are a bit oily?

Unknown said...

gina

sorry for the late reply, i had friends from out of town.

1/2 cup of potato flakes should be about 25 - 30 grams.

To get the balls less soggy, turn the last few minutes of frying by increasing the oil heat to high.

gina said...

Dear Lily,
It's me again, I wonder if the potato flakes can be replaced by potato powder?Thanks for your reply and they are really a great help for the great achievement.

Unknown said...

gina

if the potato powder you meant is potato flour, then it is a no. you can use mashed potato though.

gina said...

Dear Lily,
Thanks very much for all.

gina said...

Hi Lily,
Please tell me what's went wrong because sometimes my sesame balls are hard to chew when they are cool. Tq

Unknown said...

gina

anything made with glutinous flour has to be eaten as soon as it is ready and sesame balls are no exception. Heat them back in the oven or zap in the microwave for a few seconds.

gina said...

Dear Lily,
Thanks for your reply, I thought I might have missed something to cause that. I have been trying some of your recipes here and they are a great success.
Do you have recipe for red bean bun like those sell in the bakery? I have tried a few recipes but they are not soft enough.

Unknown said...

gina

here is the link http://lilyng2000.blogspot.com/2006/10/tau-sarred-bean-paste-bun.html

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily,

I'm wondering if i want to use fresh sweet potato that i will steam and mashed, how many grams should i used?

thanks
marie

Unknown said...

marie

i have not tried using fresh sweet potato but you can give it a go, remember the steamed mashed potato has a considerable amount of moisture, therefore, do not use the same amount of 450 ml water, hold back 1/2 cup water as you will try using 1/2 cup mashed potato. i would also suggest you omit the rice flour too.

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily,

i've tried several times your recipe. the problem i got is that sometimes the sesame balls does not puff well. it puffed only a little resulting into a product that is a bit dense. But in another batch 1 made, it does puffed well. can you explain this? i didn't know what i did wrong. i used fresh sweet potatoes and reduce water quantity. should water used to make the dough hot, warm or water from tap?

jane

lilyng said...

jane

to puff the balls, temperature of the oil has to be low and as soon as they float to the top, swirl the balls around and using your ladle, press the ball slightly against the side of the wok, this will help to puff more. frying time is about 15 mins. i don't know about sweet potatoes, i used potato flakes as it is so convenient. sweet potatoes are so much sweeter and the balls might get browned before it is properly puffed.

Unknown said...

Hi lily,

Can i prepare the dough in advance and freeze for later use?

lilyng said...

unknown

i have not done it before so i can't advice whether you can or cannot. sorry

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