Deep-fried sesame balls are one of those snacks that are accidentally vegan as well as gluten-free, with the added bonus that they’re pretty easy to make. The batch in this picture (not the prettiest, I know) actually contains mung bean paste filling, but let’s pretend it doesn’t, because I don’t have time to cover the mung bean paste recipe in this post.
You thus only need 3 ingredients for this snack – glutinous rice flour (fun fact: glutinous rice is gluten-free), sugar and sesame seeds – though if you’re sufficiently motivated you could combine the glutinous rice flour with steamed & mashed sweet potato or potato to produce a softer texture.
Recipe is adapted from Cecilia J. Au-Yang’s Chopsticks Recipes cookbook series from the early 1980s.
Deep-fried Sesame Balls
INGREDIENTS:
280g glutinous rice flour
3/4 cup water
120g sugar
1 cup sesame seeds
Oil for deep-frying
METHOD:
- Dissolve sugar in the water, then add glutinous rice flour and knead into a smooth dough.
- Divide into 40 portions and shape into balls.
- Coat with sesame seeds.
- Heat oil to about 200’C, then turn off the heat.
- Put the sesame balls in the oil and cook until they float.
- Turn the heat back on to a medium setting, and using a ladle, gently press on the balls until they inflate.
- Cook until golden brown, remove and drain on paper towels.
- Allow to cool before serving.
