Sesame Balls with Red Bean Paste

Looking down at a bowl of fried sesame balls with an open one showing the red bean paste inside.

Sesame Balls with Red Bean Paste

These crispy, chewy and nutty authentic Chinese sesame balls with red bean paste are popular for a reason—they are the perfect treat. These crispy fried sesame balls are made with only 5 ingredients and are really simple to make at home!

Course Appetizer, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword chinese sesame balls, jian dui, red bean sesame balls, sesame balls, sesame balls recipe, sesame balls with red bean, sesame rice balls, sesame seed balls

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings people

Calories 1917kcal

Author Megan

Equipment

1 thermometer

Ingredients

1 cup (120 g) glutinous rice flour
3 tablespoon (40 g) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup (80 ml) boiling water
⅔ cup (7 ounces) red bean paste, chilled
¼ cup white sesame seeds raw or toasted
4-6 cups vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Form the dough. In a medium bowl, mix together the glutinous rice flour and sugar. Make a well in the center and slowly pour in the boiling water. Mix with a rubber spatula until it forms into a dough and all the flour has been incorporated. Knead with your hand until the dough forms into a ball. If it is too wet and goopy, add in more glutinous flour 1 tablespoon at a time. If it is too dry and crumbly, add in warm water 1 tablespoon at a time.
Rest. Place in a ziploc back or cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.
Prepare the filling and sesame seeds. Divide the filling into 10 equal balls about 1 tablespoon each. Place the sesame seeds in a small bowl and prepare a small bowl of water.
Divide the dough into 10 equal balls. Divide the dough and cut it into 10 equal balls.
Add the filling. Then flatten the dough with your thumbs until it is about 2-3 inch in diameter. Add the red bean ball in the center and gently wrap the dough around the filling. Pinch the dough together tightly to cover the filling. Roll the ball in between your hands until the seams disappear and you form a smooth round ball.
Coat the balls with sesame seeds. Lightly coat the ball in water and then cover completely with sesame seeds. Using your hands, reshape the ball and press the sesame seeds into the dough to prevent them from falling off in the oil.
Fry the sesame balls. In a heavy bottomed pot, add 6 cups of oil or however much oil to cover at least 1/2 of the pot. Heat the oil on medium high heat to 290-300°F/149°C using a thermometer for accuracy. Add 5 sesame balls at a time and use a slotted spoon to move them around so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Fry for 10 minutes. They will float to the top. Make sure to press the balls underneath the oil and flip them around with a slotted spoon for even frying.
Turn up heat for crispy outer layer. After the 10 minutes, gradually increase the heat to medium high until it reaches 350°F and fry for an additional 5 minutes or until it is golden brown and crispy for a total of 15 minutes. Continue flipping the sesame balls for even cooking. The sesame balls should expand and grow.
Cool. Remove the sesame balls with a spider strainer onto a cooling wire rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

If the dough is too wet and is goopy and not coming together to form a dough you can shape with your hands, add more glutinous rice flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it comes together.
If the dough is too dry and cracking, add warm water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together.
Rest the dough. After you mix the dough together, you will need to rest the dough for 30 minutes so that the flour has time to soak in the water. This makes the dough more pliable and easier to manage.
Refrigerate the red bean paste. Refrigerating the red bean paste will make it easier to work with and roll into balls.
For the quickest method, use pre-made red bean paste. This will save you hours of soaking overnight, boiling, and cooking on a skillet. You can find pre-made red bean paste online or at your local Chinese grocery market.
If the balls burst in the oil, remove them immediately. You do not want the filling to contaminate the oil for the other sesame balls.

Nutrition