Fried Taro Balls with Salted Egg Yolk (Night Market-Style)
Ever since trying the fried taro balls at Ningxia Night Market in Taipei, I knew I wanted to recreate it at home. A lightly sweetened taro dough wraps around a whole salted egg yolk, and is then fried until golden. The crisp taro ball is tender, sweet, and savoury, and honestly one of the best bites. This recipe can be scaled up or down depending how many taro balls you want to make.
Makes 12taro balls
Ingredients
Taro Dough
300gtaro root, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
35g(5 tbsp) glutinous rice flour
(4 tbsp) granulated sugar
3 - 4 tbsp milk of choice, I used coconut milk
1/4tspsalt
Filling
12cooked salted egg yolks
Instructions
Taro Dough
Steam the cut taro root over medium heat for 15 - 20 minutes until tender. Transfer taro root to a large bowl
Using a fork, mash the steamed taro until smooth. Add glutinous rice flour, granulated sugar, milk, and salt. Mix until combined. The consistency of the taro dough should resemble Playdoh. Add more milk one teaspoon at a time if needed.
Portion out the dough into 12 equal portions. Each portion should be roughly 2 tbsp (~40g) of dough.
Assembly
Using your thumb or your knuckle, create an indentation in the centre of each piece of dough. Place a salted egg yolk in the centre and shape the dough over the top to seal. Repeat the above steps for the remaining dough.
Frying
Heat a pot of vegetable oil to 350F.
With a ladle, gently lower taro balls one at a time, no more than six balls at a time. Gently move the taro balls around to prevent any of them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Fry the taro balls for about 3 minutes until golden brown. Remove the taro balls from the oil and drain them on a piece paper towel on a plate or small baking sheet.