Dim Sum Dessert: Sesame Balls

One of my favorite meals to eat (as opposed to individual dishes) is dim sum, that amazing assortment of sweet and savory Chinese small plates most commonly eaten on weekend mornings. First of all, it totally kicks American brunch’s ass in terms of variety, flavor and (for me) sheer novelty factor. Second, any time food literally rolls up to your table so you can decide what and how much you want, it’s going to be a good experience, as you never suffer from what I call diner’s remorse (“It sounded so much better on the menu…”). Finally, there’s the matter of dessert. Whereas American brunches so often conclude with a pale slice of unripe cantaloupe, dim sum offers puddings, custard-filled pastries, and — my favorite of the lot — fried sesame balls filled with sweet red bean paste.

These balls, made with glutinous rice flour for its gummy texture, are formed around a filling of mashed azuki beans sweetened with sugar. They are then coated in sesame seeds and lightly fried, causing the balls to swell up in size and develop an airy, crisp exterior layer that contrasts perfectly with the incredibly unctuous, sticky sweet dough…The texture is incredible, offering an ultra-satisfying chew and mouth-feel that is unrivaled in the world of desserts, which I tend to overlook when considering comfort foods. The bean paste within is a dark red-brown, like the color of a very dark roux. It has a deep, earthy sweetness, like a yam or a well-toasted marshmallow, but it really is a very unique flavor.

I’ve included a recipe here, but I should note that I was kind of winging it to find the perfect balance of flour and water to make a dough that would hold its shape but still be pliable enough to seal around the bean paste center. As this was my first ever attempt at making these, and since I don’t have much pastry experience in general, it took a bit of trial and error figuring out the best way to form the indents, how much paste to add, and pinch the opening shut without the paste oozing out. I used my pinky to make a deep, narrow hole that would be easy to close, but widened it near the center by flexing my first knuckle back and forth a bit. You guys can check out the photos and try to follow along, but my results weren’t 100% perfect, so let me know if you find (or already know of) a better method. Have fun and enjoy!!!

Sesame Balls with Red Bean Paste

Notes: You’ll need a piece of cheesecloth or a very fine mesh strainer to make the bean paste…You will have leftover red bean paste from this recipe. Some ways to use the remainder include red bean dessert soup, red bean pancakes, red bean ice cream, and other pastries that utilize red bean paste as a filling, such as Chinese moon cakes.

Ingredients

(Bean Paste):

• 1 c. azuki beans
• 1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• Salt

(Sesame Balls):

• 2-3 c. glutinous rice flour
• 1 c. warm water
• 1/3 c. granulated sugar
• 3/4 c. sesame seeds
• Peanut oil, for frying

Method

(Bean Paste)

• Wash the azuki beans and place in a large pot filled with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, drain, and discard the water
• Add 5 cups of water to a pot containing the par-boiled azuki beans. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook the azuki beans until soft, approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours. There will still be a lot of residual liquid at this point

• Place a sieve over a bowl. Pour the beans and liquid into the strainer, such that the bottom of the strainer is partly immersed in the liquid. Using a wooden spoon, spatula, or the palm of your hands, mash the beans through the sieve into the liquid, ensuring that the skins stay on the sieve

• Pour the mashed beans and liquid into a cheesecloth or cotton bag and squeeze out all the water

• Put the unsweetened bean paste in a saucepan, add the sugar, and cook over low heat, stirring gently until the azuki bean paste is heated through and glossy, 1-2 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and mix well. The paste should have the consistency of mashed potatoes

(Sesame Balls)

• In a wok or deep-sided, heavy saucepan, pour oil to a depth of 2 inches. Pre-heat the oil for deep-frying to 350 degrees F
• Dissolve the sugar in the 1 c. of warm water. Place the rice flour in a large bowl. Make a “well” in the middle of the bowl and add the dissolved sugar and water mixture. Stir until you have a sticky dough, adding additional water, if needed

• Pinch off a piece of dough roughly the size of a golf ball. Use your thumb to make a deep indentation in the dough and then the thumb and index fingers of both hands to form the dough into a cup. Put 1 teaspoon of sweet red bean paste in the hole and shape the dough over the top, pinching to seal it completely shut. Continue with the remainder of the dough

I found out it works better if you hold the dough ball in your hand and shape it and stretch it as you put the bean paste in. That way you can have a much deeper/wider hole than is pictured here…

• Scatter the sesame seeds over a rimmed baking sheet. Fill a small bowl with cold water. Dip a ball into the small bowl of water (this will help the sesame seeds stick to the ball). Roll the ball over the sesame seeds. Repeat the process with the remainder of the balls
• Fry the sesame seed balls, 4-5 at a time, in the hot oil

•  Once the sesame seeds turn light brown (about 2 minutes), use the back of a spatula or a large ladle to gently press the balls against the side of the wok or saucepan. Continue applying pressure as the balls turn golden brown and expand to approximately 3 times their normal size
• Drain the deep-fried sesame seed balls on paper towels. Let them cool for at least 5 minutes, but then serve while still warm