Receta Sweet Potato Balls
It must be at least 2 decades ago since I last ate Sweet Potato Balls. I knew of only one place where it can be found and I have not been there in a long, long time. Sold by a vendor at a corner of Petaling Street, Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown, these golden orbs were such a treat. He was constantly frying a whole wok of them in hot oil. They were so delicious fresh out of the wok.
I remember going to Petaling Street with mom for Chinese New Year shopping. We would set out after the morning rush hour to take the mini bus downtown. Mom would not drive because parking was a problem. It was always hot and humid with throngs of people. Shoppers would be haggling over the prices of everything from clothes to groceries. Others were just milling around and eating as they went along. Thankfully, there were no shortage of street vendors and restaurants to keep everyone full and contented.
One could snack on bak kwa (Chinese pork jerky), coffee roasted chestnuts, boiled peanuts, fried popiah (spring rolls), rojak (Malaysian spicy fruit salad, and of course these golden and delicious sweet potato balls. Freshly squeezed sugar cane juice with ice and cold sweet longan drink quenched the thirst. For lunch, a bowl of Wonton Noodles at the renown Koon Kee restaurant was a must. Their springy wonton noodles were considered the best. They also served delicious Sui Kow (Chinese Dumplings) with mustard, a sauce seldom offered, if ever, by other restaurants. Ahh, those were good memories!
Now, back to our Sweet Potato Balls recipe. I used glutinous rice flour to give them a slightly chewy bite together with white rice flour to keep them gluten free. Swap out the glutinous rice flour with tapioca starch for a softer version. Always remember to deep fry these in medium low heat as they burn easily. It takes about 3 to 4 minutes for 1 inch diameter balls. They will float in the hot oil when cooked. Do give it a try.
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450g) sweet potatoes
- ½ cup (60g) glutinous rice flour
- ¾ cup to 1 cup (98g to 130g) white rice flour
- ¼ cup (55g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions
Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Place in a steamer and steam for 10 minutes until soft. Transfer to a large bowl and mash with a potato masher.
Add glutinous rice flour, white rice flour, granulated sugar, and baking powder to the mashed sweet potatoes. Mix with a spatula until a soft dough forms. If dough is still a little wet, mix in some additional white rice flour. Dough should be soft but not sticky.
Pinch a little dough from the bowl and roll between palms to form a 1-inch diameter ball. Repeat until all dough is used up.
Fill a medium sized saucepan with 1 inch vegetable oil over medium low heat. Gently drop a few sweet potato balls into the hot oil. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown. Sweet potato balls should float when cooked. Remove with thongs and drain on a metal strainer. Repeat until all sweet potato balls are cooked.
Serve immediately.
3.0
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Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day!