This Sesame Balls recipe is quick and easy to make. Ready in 30 minutes! The homemade sweet bean paste filling is made of red mung bean preserves. This means, no soaking or cooking the beans for hours!
Sesame Balls or “Jian dui” is a delicious Chinese round-fried pastry made of glutinous rice flour coated with sesame seeds filled with sweet bean paste. It has a chewy, gooey goodness texture inside and a nutty-sweet taste, crisp exterior. The origins of Sesame Balls also known as Jian dui became part of Chinese cuisine since the Tang Dynasty as a palace food.
Sesame Balls Ingredients
Main ingredients:
Glutinous rice flour or sweet rice flour- Although this flour is not sweet at all, it’s commonly used in most Asian desserts.
Can I use rice flour instead of glutinous rice flour?
For this recipe, it is important to use glutinous rice flour to achieve the right consistency or chewy texture.
Even though, rice flour and glutinous rice flour are both gluten-free they will give different results. Each flour creates different textures and consistency.
Glutinous rice flour vs Rice Flour
Glutinous rice flour is used for a sticky gooey or chewy texture, while rice flour is similar to all-purpose flour used to achieve a cake-like texture.
Water – make sure to use warm or hot water, it helps the dough to bind together easily to avoid cracks, so the dough can stretch and expand while frying.
Sweet bean paste or sweet red mung beans in syrup– red mung bean paste or lotus paste is commonly used for this recipe and can be bought in most Asian stores or online.
Sesame seeds– you can use raw or toasted for a golden deep brown result.
Other ingredients:
Sugar and salt– base flavour for the dough.
Water– use warm or hot water to improve the texture of the dough. It helps the flour to quickly bind together with a smooth consistency.
Shortening or cooking oil– it keeps the dough from drying out. Binds and holds the dough together to avoid cracks.
Neutral Cooking Oil- for deep frying, vegetable oil or canola oil.
How to make Sesame Balls
Step 1. Prepare the red mung bean paste.
Drain and discard the syrup in red mung beans. Transfer the beans to a food processor to puree.
In a pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the pureed beans, and keep stirring until thick paste about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let it cool.
Scoop half a tablespoon of the mung bean paste, roll on your hands in between your palms and form into a ball. Place on a plate and set aside.
For this recipe, I cooked one jar of 340 g of red mung paste and used half of the mixture. You can freeze the rest of the mung bean paste. Form into balls first then place in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Step 2. Make the dough
In a medium-sized bowl add all the dough ingredients. Mix until well combined and form into a ball. The dough should be slightly sticky but not dry.
Add more warm or hot water if needed. If too wet, then add a bit more glutinous rice flour.
Step 3. Filling the dough
Apply canola oil to your hands. Scoop the dough with an ice cream scoop, or roll the dough and form a log. Divide and cut into 10 pieces.
Flatten the dough on your palm into a round, about 3 to 3½ inches in diameter and ¼ inch thick inches; or on a clean non-stick flat surface.
Gather the edges of the dough over the filling and pleat until it covers and seals the filling. Roll in between your palms to form a smooth ball.
Place on parchment paper and repeat the process for the rest of the dough and filling.
Step 4. Coating with Sesame Seeds
Preheat the oil to 325° F in a pot over medium heat. In a small bowl with water, use one hand to dip the dough and the other hand to roll in the bowl of sesame seeds.
Roll in between palms to press the sesame seeds on the dough. Reroll on the sesame seeds to fully cover the dough.
Step. 5 Frying the sesame balls
In a preheated oil over medium heat. Use a thermometer of about 325°F.
To test the oil with a bamboo skewer. Place and dip the bamboo skewer in the middle of the pot. When the small bubbles start bubbling around the skewer, it’s hot enough. Too many big bubbles mean your oil is too hot. Adjust your stove temperature to medium-low or better is to use a thermometer.
For safety: Keep in mind that cooking oil temperature is important in frying sesame balls. Too hot or overheating the cooking oil may result in the sesame balls expanding too quickly, bursting, or exploding! Keep the oil at the recommended temperature.
Pro Tip: If the cooking oil temperature is not hot enough, you will end up with greasy sesame balls. If this is your first time frying sesame balls, start frying with one sesame ball to test the cooking oil and to make sure the sesame balls will fry perfectly.
Use a spider spoon or slotted spoon and carefully drop each sesame ball in hot oil. For the first 5 minutes, it will begin to expand and float.
For even cooking, move them around and press them down with the slotted spoon to keep them submerged in the oil. Fry for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned and almost doubled in size.
Place on a cooling rack with a baking sheet or paper towel to remove excess oil. Serve it warm. Sesame Balls are great to serve for breakfast and snacks.
Storing and Reheating Sesame Balls
It’s best to eat fresh and warm. However, the leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 to 5 days. To reheat best is in a preheated toaster oven at 375 F for about 5 minutes.
More Asian-inspired Breakfast and Snack Recipes to try
Sesame Balls
Watch How to Make It
Equipment
- 1 ice cream scoop medium size 1 ½ tbsp
- 1 Slotted spoon or spider spoon
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 1 cup glutinous rice flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp sugar
- ⅛ tsp salt or a pinch
- 125 ml warm water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil to mix in the dough
- 2 to 3 cups vegetable oil or canola oil, or any neutral cooking oil for deep frying
For coating :
- ⅓ cup sesame seeds
For the filling:
- 170 g red mung beans in syrup preserves
- ½ tbsp salted butter
Instructions
Prepare the red mung bean paste.
- Drain the red mung beans in a jar, and discard the syrup. Transfer the beans to a food processor to puree. In a pan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add the pureed beans, and cook while stirring until a thick paste, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let it cool.
- Scoop half a tablespoon of the mung bean paste, roll on your hands in between your palms and form into a ball. Place on a plate and set aside.
Make the dough
- In a medium-sized bowl, add all the dough ingredients. Mix until well combined and form into a ball. The dough should be slightly sticky but not dry.
- Dividing the dough. Apply canola oil to your hands. Scoop the dough with an ice cream scoop or roll the dough and form a log. Divide and cut into 10 pieces.
- Filling the Dough. Flatten the dough on your palm or a clean non-stick flat surface, about 3 to 3½ inches in diameter and ¼ inch thick. Gather the edges of the dough over the filling and pleat until it covers and seals the filling. Roll in between your palms to form a smooth ball. Place on parchment paper and repeat the process for the rest of the dough and filling.
- Coating the dough with sesame seeds. Preheat the oil to 325° F in a pot over medium heat. In a small bowl with water, use one hand to dip the dough and the other hand to roll in the bowl of sesame seeds. Roll in between palms to press the sesame seeds on the dough. Reroll on the sesame seeds to fully cover the dough.
Frying the sesame balls
- In a preheated oil over medium heat. Use a thermometer to test the oil for about 325°F. To test the oil with a bamboo skewer, place and dip the bamboo skewer in the middle of the pot. When the small bubbles start bubbling around the skewer, it's hot enough. Too many big bubbles mean the oil is too hot. Reduce or adjust the heat.
- Use a spider spoon or slotted spoon and carefully drop each sesame ball in hot oil. For the first 5 minutes, it will begin to expand and float. For even cooking, move them around and press them down with the slotted spoon to keep them submerged in the oil. Fry for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Place on a cooling rack with a baking sheet or paper towel to remove excess oil. Serve it warm.
