These are sesame covered sweet potato balls, optionally filled with teosa (red bean paste), of Chinese origin. They are widely made for the Chinese spring festival, but can also be appreciated all-year round.
Ingredients:
- 500g mashed boiled sweet potatoes
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 1/4 cups cornflour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 75-100g sesame seeds
- Oil for deep frying
- Teosa filling (optional)
Preparation:
- In a bowl, mix with a fork the mashed sweet potatoes and boiling water.
- Add the cornflour and baking powder and mix them well. Then add the all-purpose flour and form a sticky ball.
- Divide the dough into about 30 little balls. (Pop the dough in the fridge for some 15 minutes if its is too sticky and cannot be handled)
- Optionally: Take one teaspoon of teosa at a time and form into an even smaller ball. Flatten the sweet potato ball in no3 and put the teosa ball in the centre. Pull the sides to close it back up and shape again into a ball.
- Roll each ball in the sesame seeds and deep fry until golden brown. PRO TIP: To make nicely coloured jian duis that are also cooked sufficiently on the inside, cook them on medium low heat for 5-7 minutes then increase to medium high for about 2 minutes for the perfect coloration.
- Remove from the oil once cooked and drain excess oil. Let it cool on kitchen towel to remove any unnecessary oil left and serve once cooled.
