The sesame balls have a crisp exterior and very tender, mochi-like interior. The filling is not the typical black sesame or lotus paste, but a creamy sweet-and-salty kabocha squash and salted egg yolk paste.
Makes 15
Ingredients
Filling
250g(1 cup) steamed kabocha squash, mashed
60g(1/4 cup + 1 tbsp) granulated sugar
2salted egg yolks
Wrapper
250g(2 cups) glutinous rice flour
67g(1/3 cup) granulated sugar
80ml(2/3 cup) hot water
Coating
8g(2 tbsp) glutinous rice flour
45ml(3 tbsp) water
75g(1/2 cup) sesame seeds
Instructions
Filling
Remove peel and seeds from kabocha squash. Cut squash into 1-inch cubes and steam on medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes.
Transfer steamed kabocha into a medium-sized bowl. Add salted egg yolks and using a spatula, mix to combine, making sure no large pieces of salted egg yolk remain.
Add sugar to the mixture and mix until smooth.
Portion out the filling into 15 equal portions (about 1 heaping tablespoon for each portion) on a plate or small baking sheet.
Transfer the portioned filling to the freezer to set while you make the wrapper.
Wrapper
In a large bowl, whisk together glutinous rice flour and granulated sugar.
While mixing with a rubber spatula, stream in hot water. The dough will be shaggy and dry at first. Add it more water, a tablespoon at a time, if dough is not coming together.
Once the dough is cool enough to the touch, start kneading the dough until it becomes smooth and forms a ball, about 5 minutes.
Coating
In a small bowl, combine glutinous rice flour and water and whisk to combine. Set aside
Assembly
Portion out the dough into 15 equal pieces.
Using your fingers, flatten out each piece of dough into a circle about 2.5-inches in diameter.
Place filling into the centre of the dough. Fold in the edges to cover the filling, then roll into a ball.
Using a pastry brush, brush a layer of the coating onto the ball. Roll ball in sesame seeds.
Repeat until all the dough and filling is used up.
Frying
Heat 6 cups of vegetable oil in a large pot until it reaches 325F (163 C).
Carefully drop a few balls in the hot oil, leaving enough space for each one to nearly double in size.
Use a pair of chopsticks or slotted spoon to gently move around the balls. Fry for 10 - 12, until deeply golden brown and crispy. The ball should sound hollow when you remove it from the oil and give it a tap. Transfer to a cooling rack.