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:

1. Dissolve sugar in the water, then add glutinous rice flour and knead into a smooth dough.
2. Divide into 40 portions and shape into balls.
3. Coat with sesame seeds.
4. Heat oil to about 200’C, then turn off the heat.
5. Put the sesame balls in the oil and cook until they float.
6. Turn the heat back on to a medium setting, and using a ladle, gently press on the balls until they inflate.
7. Cook until golden brown, remove and drain on paper towels.
8. Allow to cool before serving.

The post How To Make Deep-Fried Sesame Balls (Vegan) first appeared on Jackie M..

I had never eaten kanom krok (aka Thai coconut cakes or Thai coconut custard) when I attempted to make it during a recent Live Asian Kitchen broadcast. Without a frame of reference as to how it should taste, I found both the recipe I used and the final outcome somewhat perplexing. First of all, it produced a gooey topping that had no chance of setting since it was basically just sugar and coconut cream, and secondly, it just tasted one-dimensional and overly sweet.

Since that first attempt, I’ve managed to dig deeper into this popular Thai street snack, and it’s clear that the original recipe was flawed (it fortified my belief that the internet is full of recipes that should never see the light of day). Here’s one adapted from other sources including Temple of Thai, that makes a lot more sense –

Kanom Krok – Thai Coconut Cakes

INGREDIENTS:

Bottom layer –
⅓ cup desiccated coconut
2 cups rice flour
2 tsp salt
3 ½ cups coconut milk

Top layer –
1 ¾ cups coconut cream
¼ cup sugar
2 ½ TBSP tapioca starch

Fillings (optional) –
¼ cup spring onion, sliced
¼ cup corn kernels
3 TBSP oil

Kanom krok or takoyaki pan, or similar

METHOD:

1. Combine bottom layer ingredients and mix well.
2. Combine top layer ingredients in a blender and blitz until sugar is dissolved.
3. Heat mould and grease lightly with oil.
4. When it starts smoking, fill moulds to ⅔ full with bottom batter.
5. Add the top batter immediately, then sprinkle with optional filling ingredients.
6. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes on low heat, or until crispy and browned on the bottom.
7. Remove and serve.

The post How to Make Kanom Krok – Thai Coconut Cakes first appeared on Jackie M..