Fried Sesame Balls With Sweet Red Bean Filling Recipe

This dim sum staple by Kristina Cho is each crunchy and chewy, with a candy and creamy heart.

Yield: serves 12 balls

Time:

1 hour, 25 minutes

For the purple bean paste:

• ¼ cups dried purple azuki beans, picked over and rinsed
• ¼ cups sugar
• ¼ cups canola oil, divided

For the dough:

• 1 cup glutinous rice flour
• ½ cups sugar
• Canola or different impartial oil, for frying

For the coating:

• 1 tbsp. glutinous rice flour
• ⅓ cups white sesame seeds
• ⅓ cups black sesame seeds

Directions

1. Make the purple bean paste: To a medium bowl, add the beans and sufficient water to cowl by 4 inches. Refrigerate for at the least 8 and as much as 24 hours.
2. Drain the beans, discarding their soaking liquid. Rinse properly, then switch to a small pot. Add sufficient cool water to cowl by 2 inches, set over medium warmth, deliver to a boil, then decrease the warmth to simmer and prepare dinner, stirring often, till the beans are tender, about 40 minutes. Place a sieve within the sink and drain the beans, discarding their cooking liquid. Rinse and drain properly, then switch to a small meals processor. Add the sugar then course of to a easy purée.
3. Switch the bean paste to a small skillet and set over medium-low warmth. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and prepare dinner, stirring and scraping the underside of the skillet continuously with a silicone spatula till easy, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining oil and proceed cooking, stirring continuously, till the paste is darker in coloration and the oil is totally included, about 10 minutes. Switch to a heatproof container and put aside to chill to room temperature. Use instantly or cowl tightly and refrigerate for as much as 2 weeks or freeze for as much as 3 months.
4. To a medium bowl, add the flour and put aside. To a medium pot over medium-high warmth, add the sugar and ½ cup of water; deliver to a simmer, stirring often till the sugar dissolved, about 2 minutes. Instantly pour the sugar syrup into the flour. Utilizing a silicone spatula, stir the combination till a shaggy dough types. Put aside till cool sufficient to deal with, about 10 minutes.
5. Knead the dough within the bowl till it’s easy, about 5 minutes. Cowl with plastic wrap and put aside till cooled to room temperature, about half-hour.
6. Flip the dough out onto a clear work floor, then use a knife or a bench scraper to divide it into 12 equal items. Utilizing your arms, roll every bit right into a easy ball (cowl the dough balls with a clear kitchen towel as you’re employed to forestall them from drying out).
7. Utilizing a rolling pin, roll one ball out to a 3-inch circle. Spoon a tablespoon of the reserved bean paste within the heart, then pull the perimeters of the dough up and across the filling, pinching the seams collectively to seal. Cently roll the crammed dough within the palm of your hand to kind a easy ball, then switch to a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and bean paste.
8. Right into a medium pot, pour oil to a depth of two inches. Connect a deep-fry thermometer, and switch the warmth to medium-high. Whereas the oil is preheating, set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet and set it by the range.
9. In the meantime, make the coating: In a small bowl, whisk collectively the rice flour and ½ cup of cool water. In a second small bowl, stir collectively the white and black sesame seeds. Dip every dough ball into the flour-and-water combination after which roll within the sesame seeds, shaking off any extra.
10. When the thermometer reads 360°F, fry the balls: Utilizing a slotted spoon or spider skimmer and dealing in batches of 4 or 5 to keep away from overcrowding the pot, drop the balls gently into the oil and prepare dinner, turning continuously, till evenly golden brown, about 5 minutes. Switch to the wire rack whilst you end cooking the remainder. Serve heat or at room temperature on the identical day as frying.