These sweet potato sesame balls are a fresh take on the traditional Chinese sesame balls. It’s filled with red bean paste and will be sure to satisfy your cravings!
Taste
The closest thing I can think of to describe these sweet potato sesame balls is like sweet potato mochi. The exterior is crispy, yet soft and chewy inside – like mochi! Both are made from the same ingredients, after all. The sesame seeds provide a slightly nutty taste which balances really well with the red bean paste.
Size
The sesame balls should be rolled fairly small in order for the dough inside to get cooked through. In addition, the dough should be rolled thin so it can cook entirely. I divided the dough into 14 even pieces which worked out to be 30g each.
Filling
The sesame balls are filled with sweetened red bean paste which I bought from a Japanese grocery store. I used the Morinaga Ogura An brand which is also sold on Amazon!
I know that red bean paste is a difficult item to find but there are alternatives. You can leave out the filling entirely and add more sugar to the dough to make up for it. Or, you can replace the red bean paste with another thick sweet paste, like mung bean or taro paste.
Sesame seeds
Make sure to use raw sesame seeds for this recipe because toasted sesame seeds might overcook when deep frying. I bought my sesame seeds from Chinatown, but these should be available at any large Asian grocery store.
Deep frying
Deep fry in batches to prevent overcrowding and to ensure the oil temperature isn’t brought down too much. In addition, make sure to use enough oil because the sesame balls will get expand as it cooks.
Type of oil
I recommend deep frying with a high smoke point oil, like canola, vegetable, corn or peanut. Canola, vegetable and corn oil are all neutral tasting, while peanut oil gives off a nutty taste.
Remember that you can reuse oil a few times before tossing it out! Strain out the impurities and food scraps and store in a cool, dark place. Also keep in mind that the taste of whatever food you cook will leech off into the oil. Basically, don’t fry sesame balls in oil you used to fry chicken!
Oil temperature
The temperature used for this recipe is much lower than what you’d normally use for deep frying. The oil should be heated between medium low and medium heat. It’s better to start lower and increase if necessary. The sesame balls should cook for about 5.5 minutes.
If the exterior is browning too fast, your oil is probably too hot. Try lowering the heat if this is the case and only test one sesame ball at a time in the beginning until you’ve reached the correct temperature. The oil should gently bubble as the sesame balls cook.
Watch my video tutorial below!
Sweet Potato Sesame Balls
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato (350g)
- ¼ cup sugar (50g)
- 1 cup glutinous rice flour (140g)
- sweetened red bean paste
- raw sesame seeds
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C. Wash the sweet potato and pat dry, then pierce all over with a knife and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Peel the skin off when it’s cool enough to handle.
- Add the sweet potato, sugar and glutinous rice flour to a large mixing bowl. Mash the sweet potatoes and mix in all of the ingredients until it all comes together. Then finish by kneading the dough with your hands until smooth.
- Divide the dough into 14 equal pieces of 30g each. Roll each dough into a ball, flatten it, then add a teaspoon of sweetened red bean paste to the center. Enclose the bean paste with the dough and roll into a ball again.
- Roll each ball in raw sesame seeds, gently press on the surface so the seeds are in place, then shake off the excess.
- Deep fry in batches on medium low to medium heat for about 5.5 minutes. The sesame balls will float to the surface towards the end and you can push down on each to make sure it cooks evenly.
- The temperature you cook these is very important! If it browns too quickly, the inside will be raw and the outside burnt. Turn down the heat if this is the case – you want it to cook slowly so the inside can get cooked and be chewy.
- Serve immediately & enjoy!
Notes
use a scale to measure ingredients for best results
