Fried Sesame Balls with Red Bean Paste

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Chewy glutinous rice dough wrapped around sweet red bean paste, rolled in sesame seeds and fried low and slow until the shells puff into crisp, hollow spheres. Canned red bean paste keeps it a weeknight project, and the trick is patience: keep the oil gentle and press the balls against the side of the pot so they inflate instead of splitting.

Ingredients

• 1 cup canned sweetened red bean paste (about 10 oz)

• 2 cups glutinous rice flour (240 g), such as Erawan or Koda Farms Mochiko
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons wheat starch or cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup boiling water, plus more as needed
• 1 teaspoon neutral oil

• 1/2 cup raw white sesame seeds
• 3 tablespoons water, in a shallow bowl
• 5 cups neutral frying oil (peanut, canola, or soybean)

Instructions

1. Portion the filling first so it firms up: scoop the red bean paste into 12 level teaspoon-and-a-half portions (about 2 teaspoons / 20 g each), roll each into a ball between lightly oiled palms, and set them on a plate. Freeze for 20 minutes while you make the dough — cold filling is far easier to wrap.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the glutinous rice flour, sugar, wheat starch, and baking powder. Pour in the 3/4 cup boiling water in a steady stream while stirring with chopsticks or a silicone spatula until shaggy clumps form. Let it sit 2 minutes until cool enough to touch.
3. Add the 1 teaspoon oil and knead in the bowl, then on the counter, for 3 to 4 minutes until smooth. The dough should feel like soft Play-Doh: pliable, not sticky, and it should not crack when you press a piece flat. If it cracks, work in warm water 1 teaspoon at a time; if it sticks to your hands, dust with a little more glutinous rice flour. Cover with a damp towel and rest 10 minutes.
4. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (about 33 g each) and keep them covered. Roll one piece into a ball, then press and pinch it into a 3-inch disc that is slightly thinner at the edges than the center. Set a cold ball of bean paste in the middle, cup the dough around it, and pinch the seam closed. Roll between your palms until perfectly smooth with no seams or thin spots — a weak seam is what bursts in the oil. Repeat with the rest.
5. Put the sesame seeds in a wide shallow bowl and the 3 tablespoons water in another. Roll each ball briefly between wet palms, then roll it in the sesame seeds, pressing firmly so the seeds embed. Finish by rolling the ball hard between your palms one more time to set the seeds — loose seeds will fall off and burn in the oil.
6. Pour the frying oil into a deep, narrow pot (a 3- to 4-quart saucepan is ideal; you want at least 3 inches of oil and 3 inches of clearance). Heat over medium-low to 275°F / 135°C on a thermometer. This low start is essential: hot oil sets the shell before it can expand.
7. Slide in 4 balls. They will sink. After about 1 minute, once they release from the bottom, use a slotted spoon or spider to nudge and roll them constantly, and every 30 seconds gently press each ball against the side of the pot and roll it — the light pressure stretches the shell and encourages the hollow center. Fry at 275 to 300°F for 8 to 10 minutes, keeping the heat low; the balls will slowly float, swell, and roughly double in size.
8. Once they are puffed and pale gold, raise the heat to bring the oil to 340°F / 170°C and fry 1 to 2 minutes more, still turning, until deep golden brown and crisp. Lift out and drain on a wire rack (not paper towels, which soften the bottoms). Return the oil to 275°F before frying the next batch.
9. Cool at least 10 minutes before eating — the filling is molten hot. Serve warm the day they are made; they are crackly outside and chewy within.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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