Homemade Chinese Fried Sesame Red Bean Balls
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Chinese fried sesame balls or jian dui are a classic Cantonese sweet that is chewy like mochi on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Fried sesame balls are often eaten during the lunar new year in China, but this treat can be found year-round in bakeries across Asia. There are many variations and different fillings such as sweet black bean paste, lotus paste, or red bean paste.
In this recipe, I’ll show you how to make fried sesame balls with red bean paste from scratch. You can easily find red bean paste at your local Asian market or from most online Asian grocery stores.
Why You’ll Love This Chinese Fried Sesame Red Bean Balls Recipe
These sesame balls have a delicious balance of sweetness from the red bean paste and mochi dough, and a savory flavor from the sesame seeds.
The glutinous rice flour and coconut milk/water dough create a soft and chewy texture that is super satisfying to bite into. If you love mochi, you’ll love this recipe even more.
This fried sesame balls recipe only requires a few ingredients and despite the meticulous steps, is quite simple to make.
These sesame balls can be enjoyed as a snack or dessert, and are perfect for sharing with friends and family. You can also experiment with the fillings and make different flavored sesame balls. Yum!
Sesame balls are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free. The recipe uses glutinous rice flour and water or coconut milk, making it a great option for those with gluten or dairy sensitivities or allergies.
What Do I Need To Make Chinese Fried Sesame Balls?
Ingredients for Chinese sesame red bean balls:
- 5 oz of glutinous rice flour
- 5 oz of coconut milk or water
- 3.5 oz of sugar
- 1.4 – 2.1 oz of glutinous rice flour
- 1 ½ tsp of vegetable oil
- 7 oz red bean paste (see homemade red bean paste recipe below)
- 2.1 oz of raw sesame seeds
- Vegetable oil for deep-frying
How To Make Fried Sesame Red Bean Balls
Step 1: Make the mochi dough
Add the coconut milk or water, and sugar to a pot and heat over medium-high. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat.
Step 2: Mix glutinous rice flour with coconut milk and sugar mixture
Add 5 oz of glutinous rice flour into a mixing bowl and slowly pour in the coconut milk or water and sugar mixture into the flour, stirring with chopsticks to combine.
Step 3: Continue mixing with a rubber spatula to eliminate lumps
Switch to a rubber spatula and continue mixing the dough until free of lumps.
Step 4: Gradually add more glutinous rice flour and knead with vegetable oil
Gradually add the 1.4 – 2.1 oz of glutinous rice flour to the batter, stirring continuously, until the dough thickens and becomes elastic. Pour 1.5 tsp of vegetable oil over the dough and knead until incorporated.
Step 5: Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Step 6: Divide the red bean paste and dough
Meanwhile, divide the red bean paste into 16 pieces and roll them into balls.
Step 7: Divide the dough into 16 balls and cover to prevent drying
After the dough has rested, roll it into a log, divide it into 16 equal pieces, and roll them into balls. Cover the balls with plastic wrap so that they don’t dry out.
Step 8: Form the sesame balls
Poke a hole in the center and make it big enough to fit a ball of red bean paste. Fill the indentation with a red bean paste ball and push it down as you work the dough around it until sealed. Seal the edges of the dough and roll it into a perfectly round ball. Repeat the process until all the dough and filling are used up.
Step 9: Wet, coat, and firmly press sesame seeds into the dough balls
Place the raw sesame seeds in a shallow bowl. Prepare another shallow bowl with water. Wet each ball and then roll in the sesame seeds until they are fully coated. Press the sesame seeds into the dough with your hands and roll it into a ball again to make the seeds stick to the dough.
Step 10: Fry the Chinese sesame balls
Heat vegetable oil in a wok or deep-frying pan over medium-low heat. Place half of the sesame balls in the oil, using a stainless-steel spider strainer to prevent the sesame balls from touching the bottom of the pan.
Step 11: Remove sesame balls from oil using a strainer
Once you see bubbles, remove the basket and move the balls around often using chopsticks. Turn the heat up gradually and fry them until they are golden brown and crispy. The whole process should take 12-15 minutes. Use a spider strainer or slotted spoon to remove the sesame balls from the oil and place them on a paper towel to drain excess oil.
Step 12: Enjoy your Homemade Chinese Fried Sesame Red Bean Balls
Serve the sesame balls warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!
Recipe For Homemade Red Bean Paste
I suggest making red bean paste the day before to save time.
Ingredients for sweet red bean paste:
- 7 oz of adzuki beans (red beans)
- Water
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1/4 tsp of salt
- 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
How To Make Sweet Red Bean Paste
Rinse the adzuki beans in cold water, then soak them in enough water to cover them for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Drain the beans and place them in a pot with enough water to cover them by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let the beans simmer for about 1 hour or until they are soft and fully cooked. You may need to add more water as the beans cook to ensure they are always covered.
Drain any excess water from the beans, then mash them into a paste using a potato masher or immersion blender. If the paste is too thick, you can add some of the cooking liquid to thin it out.
In a separate pot, combine the sugar and 1/2 cup of water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has fully dissolved and the mixture has thickened.
Add the red bean paste to the sugar mixture and stir well to combine. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently until the mixture becomes thick and sticky.
Add the salt and vegetable oil and mix well.
Remove the red bean paste from the heat and let it cool completely before using. You can store any unused red bean paste in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
You can adjust the amount of sugar to your taste, depending on how sweet you like your red bean paste.
Notes & Tips
- If the dough is too sticky, add more glutinous rice flour until it reaches the desired consistency. Each glutinous rice flour brand has a different liquid absorption capacity so the amount of extra flour needed will vary.
- The texture of the dough should be similar to playdough – stretchy, soft, and holds together. Adjust the amount of rice flour or water as needed.
- Make sure the filling is completely sealed inside the dough to prevent it from leaking out while frying. Pinch it together with your fingers, using a little water as glue if necessary.
- Don’t forget to press the sesame seeds into the dough. Otherwise, they’ll fall off while frying and expose the dough. Not pretty.
- First, submerge the sesame balls in low-temperature oil (about 260°F) to slow-cook the mochi dough. Then increase the temperature towards the end up to 350°F.
- Keep moving the sesame balls while they’re frying. This ensures they cook evenly and puff up nicely. I like using chopsticks to do this.
- You can use other types of filling, such as Nutella, lotus paste, peanut butter, or even guava paste if you prefer. Get creative and make fried sesame balls your way.
- If you’re making red bean paste at home, I suggest preparing it the day before to save time. This will also give it plenty of time to chill in the fridge.
- To make a healthier version of this recipe, you can cook the sesame balls in an air fryer instead of frying them in oil. We have full instructions below.
Serving Suggestions
Chinese fried sesame balls are usually eaten during the lunar new year to bring you balls of luck. But you can enjoy these sesame balls any time as a dessert or snack.
They are best eaten fresh and warm, but can also be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Can You Make Chinese Fried Sesame Balls In An Air Fryer?
Yes, you can make Chinese fried sesame balls in an air fryer! Here’s how:
- Follow the instructions up until step 4.
- Preheat your air fryer to 350°F.
- Brush the sesame balls with vegetable oil.
- Place the sesame balls in the air fryer basket, leaving some space between them. Cook for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, take the basket out and flip the balls. Brush with more vegetable oil.
- Put the basket back into the air fryer and continue cooking for another 5-8 minutes, or until the sesame balls are golden brown and crispy.
- Remove from the air fryer and let cool for a few minutes before serving.
The cooking time may vary depending on your air fryer model, so keep an eye on the sesame balls as they cook. It’s best to cook them in batches if your air fryer is not big enough to fit all of them at once.
Ingredients
- 5 oz of glutinous rice flour
- 5 oz of coconut milk or water
- 3.5 oz of sugar
- 1.4 – 2.1 oz of glutinous rice flour
- 1 ½ tsp of vegetable oil
- 7 oz red bean paste chilled
- 2.1 oz of raw sesame seeds
- Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Instructions
- Add the coconut milk or water, and sugar to a pot and heat over medium-high. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat.
- Add 5 oz of glutinous rice flour to a mixing bowl and slowly pour the liquid mixture into the flour, stirring with chopsticks to combine.
- Switch to a rubber spatula and continue mixing the dough until free of lumps.
- Gradually add the 1.4 – 2.1 oz of glutinous rice flour to the batter, stirring continuously, until the dough thickens and becomes elastic. Add vegetable oil and knead to incorporate. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, divide the red bean paste into 16 pieces and roll them into balls.
- Roll dough into a log, divide it into 16 equal pieces and roll them into balls. Poke a hole in the center big enough to fit a ball of red bean paste.
- Fill the indentation with a red bean paste ball and work the dough around it until sealed. Seal the edges of the dough and roll it into a perfectly round ball.
- Repeat the process until all the dough and filling are used up.
- Wet each ball with water and roll in the sesame seeds until they are coated. Press the seeds into the dough with your palms and roll them into a perfect ball.
- Heat vegetable oil in a wok or deep-frying pan over medium-low heat. Place half the balls in a strainer and fry on low for a few minutes. Turn the heat up and fry them until they are golden brown and crispy, stirring often. It takes 12-15 minutes. Turn the heat down to low and repeat with the second batch.
- Remove the sesame balls from the oil and place them on paper towels to drain.
- Serve the sesame balls warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!
