Jian Dui: a sweet treat from home.
My family were displaced for many years before coming to the United States, I was only six at the time. My grandmother came with us, and she would teach me all about our culture. She always told me stories when she cooked, she talked about people and places back home in China that I had never heard of, but she would speak about them as if we were still there.
One of my favorite stories was told over and over when Grandma made Jian Dui (A sesame covered rice ball sweet), this was the story about how my grandmother first met my grandfather and he fell in a river. It sounded like the most romantic meeting ever to my young ears.
Now when I make Jian Dui with my children I tell them the same story, but I also add the stories of how my mother met my father and how I met my husband. It is something small, but to me it is a link to home I hope never to lose.
Here is my recipe for you, maybe you will tell a story when you make it….
Ingredients:
200 grams of steamed pumpkin
40 grams of cream
20 grams of powdered sugar
240 grams of rice flour (glutinous is best if you are tolerant)
200 grams of red bean paste
cooked, white sesame seed…. make sure you have enough to cover the ten rice balls we will make
frying oil, I prefer to use vegetable
Mix the steamed pumpkin in a bowl with the cream and sugar, then shift in the rice flour, mixing it as you go.
Kneed the dough until it is no longer sticky, but it should be smooth, then you should cover it with wrap and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
During these 30 minutes you can take the bean paste and divide it into ten parts. Once you do this, roll the bean paste to make small balls.
Now you can roll out the dough, and cut into ten circles. When you have ten, add the bean paste to each one. Roll them so that you form a small ball, then roll them again into the sesame seeds, cover them as much as possible.
Over a low heat, boil the oil, you will need to have quite a bit of oil to avoid them sticking, but instead allow them to float. Once the oil is starting to very lightly smoke, you can add (carefully) the rice balls.
Once they are golden brown, remove them from the heat and let them cool down……. once cool enough, you can eat them and enjoy the tastes.