Sesame seed balls or simply sesame balls or Jian Dui in Mandarin is a Chinese sweet. Besides, they make them with glutinous rice flour. Then filled with different fillings like black sesame paste, red bean paste, crushed peanuts paste. Or lotus seed paste (traditional style) sweetened with sugar. With black sesame paste being the most popular fillings amongst all the flavours. They often describe them as sweet, crispy on the outside and chewy inside. Typically, they eat these sesame seed balls all year round. Likewise, they are extremely popular during special occasions like Chinese New Year and birthdays. As they represent happiness, laughter and good. As well as expanding fortune due to the expanding balls when cooking them and their golden colour.
For my gluten free recipe, I am using glutinous rice flour for the dough. And homemade gluten free black sesame paste as my fillings. This recipe is also vegan, dairy free, nut free, soy free, corn free, and egg free. As well as low carb and refined sugar free.
You may also like my other black sesame dessert recipes:
About Sesame Seed Balls (Jian Dui)
The history of sesame seed balls dated all the way back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). During that time, they regard these dessert balls as an imperial palace food in Chang’an, China. Then this Chinese sweet spread out to other regions of China and Jian Dui turned into a Southern Chinese cuisine. Today, they commonly serve them at yum cha restaurants as a sweet dim sum or dim sum dessert. They also sell these dessert balls at Chinese bakeries worldwide. Some Chinese bakeries serve up super sized sesame balls as well. Furthermore, they are a popular street (hawker) food in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan and the Philippines.
Sesame Seed Balls (Jian Dui)
Ingredients
- Some rice bran oil for deep frying
- 150 g white sesame seeds for coating
- Some water for coating
For the Black Sesame Filling:
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 150 g black sesame seeds
- 5 tablespoons agave syrup
- 20 g desiccated coconut
For the Dough:
- 500 g glutinous rice flour
- 1½ cups water
- 1 tablespoon agave syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
For preparing the black sesame filling:
- Heat up a non-stick frying pan, toast the black sesame seeds for around 5 minutes on low to medium heat or until aromatic. Taking care not to burn the sesame seeds.
- Transfer the black sesame seeds to a Nutribullet or food processor, blend the sesame seeds until you get a fine paste.
- Transfer the ground sesame seeds to the non-stick frying pan, add desiccated coconut, extra virgin olive oil and agave sugar, stir well to form a smooth and thick paste on low to medium heat. Transfer to a bowl and cool in the refrigerator.
- Once cooled, divide and roll the sesame paste into 22 small balls (about 2cm/0.8 inch in diameter) and set aside on a large plate. You may have some extra sesame paste leftover.
For the dough:
- Add all the glutinous rice flour in a large bowl, make a well in the middle and add 1 cup of water, agave syrup, vanilla extract and salt, use a spatula to mix briefly.
- Then start kneading with your hands and gradually add the rest of the ½ cup water as you knead into a smooth and slightly sticky dough.
- Pinch and shape the dough into around 22 equal size balls (around 45g/1.6oz), flatten the balls into a 3 inch disc with your fingers with the middle thicker than the edges and fill each disc with 1 small ball of the black sesame paste.
- Wrap the black sesame ball with the dough and fold into half. Pinch some dough from the sides to fill the top of the dough and gently form a smooth ball with your palms and place on a large plate. Repeat with the rest of the dough until finished.
- Dip each ball into a bowl filled with some water and immediately coat each ball generously with some white sesame seeds, roll and shape into a rounded ball again while pressing the white sesame seeds onto the balls.
For cooking the filled sesame balls:
- Heat up a wok filled with some rice bran oil to 120C or 250F and just enough to cover the sesame balls.
- Turn the heat to the lowest setting and carefully drop about 7 balls into the wok and cook for about 5 minutes or until lightly golden brown on low heat. Drain on kitchen paper towel. Repeat and cook the balls in 3 batches.
- Best when served immediately after frying.
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