Learn how to make this classic Chinese pastry called Sesame Balls. Otherwise known as Jian Dui in Chinese. Sesame balls are a delicious, chewy, and lightly sweet pastry. This recipe is traditionally already vegan and gluten-free. These Sesame Balls are great for potlucks or freezing for an easy and quick treat.
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This was a dish I grew up eating alongside Char Siu Bao, which I have veganized here. As a young child, I always preferred the peanut or meat-filled versions of these, but as I got older I learned to appreciate the subtle sweetness and flavor profile of a good red bean paste. Now, these are one of my favorite foods. One of the great parts about living in Seattle was all the dim sum vendors. Many of which you could pop into and grab a sesame ball or two like you might at a street vendor. They were great snacks to eat while commuting on buses which I would do a lot when I was a nanny for several families across the Seattle area.
Now that I live out in rural Oregon I can’t buy these since there are not any dim sum restaurants around here. I also heard the sad news recently that one of the remaining and popular dim sum restaurants in the Portland area was affected too much by Covid-19 and will be closing down. I soon faced the reality that this was not going to be a treat I could buy locally anytime soon. This resulted in me searching the internet to learn how to make this delicious pastry. To my surprise, I found out this dish is traditionally one that does not use any animal-based ingredients. This means you likely can eat it as a restaurant, but I would still check with your local dim sum restaurant.
What ingredients do you need?
Sesame Balls require just a few ingredients. You can find them at your local Asian Supermarket. I also have the ingredients I bought from Amazon linked as well. It will be cheaper to buy directly at a supermarket, but not all are open or accessible during this pandemic.
- Glutinous Rice Flour*
- Brown Sugar
- Hot Water
- Baking Powder
- Red Bean Paste*
How are Sesame Balls made?
Sesame Balls are a slightly more temperamental pantry to make at first, but you will quickly get the hang of it and be able to crank them out quite fast.
Make the dough:
You’ll make the sesame ball dough by mixing the glutinous rice flour, baking powder, and brown sugar water. Then add 1 cup of the hot sugar water into the dough and mix them. After the dough has formed, add a little more sugar water at a time until you reach a dough that doesn’t completely crumble if you work it with your hands. Once you have the dough formed and it’s not sticking to the bowl you’ll knead it for up to 5 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth and slightly glossy.
Next, you can either divide the dough into 25-30 evenly measured balls or just pinch off the dough as you go and stuff the balls.
Forming the Sesame Balls:
Once you’re ready to make the sesame balls take some dough and flatten it in your hand until it’s around 1/2 inch thick. Add around 1 tsp of red bean paste to the center of the disk and wrap the dough around the red bean paste. Make sure to seal the edges so the red bean doesn’t leak out while frying. You can do this by crimping the edges and rolling and tossing the ball in your hands to smooth the outside. Next roll the ball in sesame seeds so it covers the outside. If the seeds are not sticking slightly damp your hands and roll the ball between them so the outside becomes slightly wet. Then roll the ball in the sesame seeds and they should stick now. Place the sesame balls on a plate or sheet while you make the rest of them.
Frying the Sesame Balls:
To fry the sesame balls you’ll want to heat oil in a large pot to 350 degrees. You will want enough oil in the pot so that sesame balls are submerged when you first put them in. You can fry 4-5 balls are one time. They will expand as they are fried, so plan accordingly. When you first put the sesame balls in make sure to stir them so they don’t sit on the bottom of the pan. This might result in one side cooking significantly more. Once the balls begin to expand and rise toward the top of the oil you will still want to stir them occasionally to ensure they are evenly cooked. Cook the sesame balls in the oil for 10-15. They will be golden brown when they are ready. Remove the balls from the oil and roll on a paper towel to remove excess oil, and then let them cool on a wire rack.
Serve these sesame balls fresh.
Can you freeze Sesame Balls?
Yes! You need to cook the sesame balls as recommended first. After that, you will need to place the sesame balls on a lined tray. Don’t let them touch yet or they will freeze together. Place the tray in your freezer for 1 hour. They will not be fully frozen yet, but enough that you can put them in a freezable bag or Tupperware all together and they won’t stick to one another while they finish freezing.
Freezing instruction came from What To Cook Today.
How to reheat Sesame Balls?
When reheating sesame balls you have several options. One option is you can fry again at 325 degrees to allow them to puff up again. The other reheating methods are you could opt for a less greasy option like preheating either an oven or air fryer to 325 degrees and then cook the balls for 10 minutes.
Substitutions:
Red Bean: If red bean isn’t your thing you could either go with another traditional filling like mung bean paste, roasted peanuts, or sweet potato. You can also opt for these less traditional options that might be a better stepping stone into these flavors or textures especially for kids by filling these with Nut butters or vegan Nutella.
Sesame Seeds: You can replace the white sesame seeds with any kind of sesame seeds. You just don’t want to use toasted sesame seeds since they will become burnt or close to by the time the sesame balls are done frying. You can also make these without sesame seeds, but the sesame seeds do add a key flavor to these balls, so I would recommend replacing with other sesame seeds before removing completely.
Brown Sugar: You can replace the brown sugar with light brown sugar or white sugar. I find that brown sugar has a closer flavor to the traditional sugar used in sesame balls. If you can get to a local Asian Supermarket then you can go the more traditional route with these and make with brown sugar slabs(Peen Tong). If you are looking for a sugar-free option for these you could remove the brown sugar completely or replace it with a sugar-free sweetener.
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Thank you for checking out our Sesame Ball Recipe and make sure to check out our other vegan recipes like our Vegan Strawberry Lemon Bars, or this Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff.
Sesame Balls / Jian Dui
Equipment
- Large Pot or Deep Fryer
- Mixing Bowl
- Measuring Cup
Ingredients
- 372 grams glutinous rice flour (Approximately 3 1/4 cups)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup brown sugar (I used light brown sugar)
- 1 1/4 cup hot water
- 1/2 cup red bean paste
- 1/2 cup white sesame seeds (Not toasted)
Instructions
- Start by adding the brown sugar to the hot water. Mix the two until the brown sugar has dissolved into the water.
- Next, add your glutinous rice flour and baking powder to a bowl. Mix and create a well in the middle. Pour the sugar water into the well in the glutinous rice flour and then slowly mix the liquid outward into the flour to create your dough. Mix until the dough is well combined and no longer sticking to the bowl, this will take 3-5 minutes. It was easier for me to use my hands toward the end. Add slightly more water or glutinous rice flour as needed.
- Next, lightly dust a cutting board or a different surface with the glutinous rice flour. Knead the dough for up to 5 minutes or until you have a smooth and slightly glossy dough mixture.
- Next, divide the dough into 25-30 balls. Flatten the balls with your hands until they are around 1/2 inch thick. I find the dough was still crumbly when I first start working with it, but it will warm and become sticky to the heat of your hand.
- Then add 1 tsp of red bean paste to the center of the disk and wrap the dough around the red bean paste. Crimp the edges to ensure they are sealed and then roll and toss the ball between your hands to smooth the outside.
- Once you have made the balls you’ll roll them in the sesame seeds. If the seeds are not sticking to your balls then get your hands slightly damp with cold water and roll the balls in your hands so the outside becomes slightly wet. This will help the sesame seeds stick to the balls.
- I rolled out all my sesame balls at once. When you get toward the end of your batch turn on the stove and heat your oil to 350 degrees F. You will want the oil to be deep enough to submerge the sesame balls when they first go into the oil.
- Once your oil is up to the correct temperature add 4-5 balls depending on the size of your pot. The balls will expand as they fry, so plan accordingly when adding the sesame balls.
- The balls will sink to the bottom when they are first frying, make sure to stir them so they don’t rest and cook on the bottom of the pot. You’ll cook these for 10-15 minutes. Make sure to stir the sesame balls occasionally so they cook evenly. They will become golden brown when they are ready.
- Remove the balls from the oil, and place on a wire rack or paper towel lined plate to cool. I would recommend blotting off the excess oil before cooling on a wire rack since these were quite oily.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or with a light fry in oil or an air fryer. These can also be frozen for up to a month. Reheat frozen ones in an oven or air fryer for 10 minutes at 325 degrees.