Sesame Balls Recipe (Goma Dango)

Sesame balls are a type of fried Chinese pastry made from glutinous rice flour filled with sweet bean paste, coated with toasted sesame seeds, then deep-fried until golden brown. These simple but delicious sesame balls date back to the Tang Dynasty in China and the recipe has persisted from century to century. From the Chinese influence, many countries in Asia have adopted the recipe. The main difference when you eat sesame balls from every country is the filling. Today, there are more than 20 different kinds of filling used for this pastry but the satisfying experience of the different textures on every bite remains the same. These sesame balls are extremely crispy on the outside and sticky, chewy, and creamy on the inside.

With this recipe, you will be surprised how easy it is to make sesame balls at home. You don’t need to wait for a special occasion to serve them; they are perfect for any day as a snack or for dessert.

Ingredients:

This recipe takes about 30 minutes to make. Serves 5.

• 50 grams of mochiko (sweet rice flour)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 50 grams of anko (sweet red bean paste)
• 2 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
• 3 cups of oil
• sesame oil

Instructions:

Form the anko into 5 small balls, then set aside.
Put mochiko in a large mixing bowl.
Make a well at the center of the mochiko, then pour the sugar into the well.
Pour in half of the water into the well and stir using a small spatula.
Gradually pour the remaining water while mixing with circular strokes until you form a smooth dough.
Moisten your hands with some sesame oil and take the mochiko dough from the mixing bowl.
On a flat surface, roll the dough into a log, then cut it into 5 equal pieces.
Form each piece into a ball.
Press the center of a dough ball using your thumb to shape it into a small bowl.
Put the anko ball in the center of the dough.
Press the sides of the mochiko dough while securing the anko ball in the center with your thumbs.
Continue pressing around the dough while moving upward to seal the hole.
Make sure that the dough has an even thickness around the anko.
Continue with the rest of the mochiko dough and anko balls.
Lightly moisten each mochiko ball with water, then evenly coat it with the toasted sesame seeds.
Heat oil in a small saucepot over medium heat until the oil temperature reaches 150C.
Turn the heat down to low, then carefully drop each coated ball into the hot oil.
Fry for 4 to 5 minutes while moving the balls around to ensure even cooking.
Turn the heat to high and continue frying the balls for another 5 minutes or until golden brown.
Transfer the fried sesame balls to a tray lined with paper towel to drain excess oil.
As the filling is piping hot, make sure to cool the sesame balls before serving.

Ideas And Tips:

Aside from sweet red bean paste, you can use cheese, chocolate, marshmallow, taro paste, fruit jams, sweet potato paste, sweet pumpkin paste, sweet mung bean paste, peanut butter, dulce de leche, crème caramel, sweet lotus paste or ground nuts for the filling.

For the frying oil, you can use peanut oil, corn oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, grapeseed oil or vegetable oil.

You can keep the fried sesame balls in the fridge in an airtight container for 1 to 2 days. You may reheat them in the toaster oven or fry them again.

images – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5nkq4_FQ3A