Do you want to make a batch of homemade sesame balls? Well, this buchi recipe is what you need! Buchi is commonly known as sesame balls. It’s a fried ball of dough made from glutinous rice flour filled with sweet red mung beans and covered in sesame seeds. It is an adaptation of the Chinese dim sum known as Jian Dui or Zhi Ma Zao. Get ready to impress your friends and family with this buchi recipe.
152g of sesame seeds (either black, white, or a combination)
Canola oil for deep frying
Equipment
1 pot with lid
1 blender or mortar and pestle
1 non-stick pan
1 tablespoon
1 baking sheet
1 saucepot
1 big bowl
1 spatula
Cling wrap
1 sieve
1 flat dish (a large plate or baking tray)
1 large pot
1 food thermometer
1 large slotted spoon
1 wire rack
Parchment paper
Directions
For the mung bean filling:
Rinse the red mung beans in cold water and drain them well.
Add the beans and water into a pot and heat it over medium heat.
Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and cover the pot with a lid. Boil for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat source once the beans are cooked.
Blend the beans until smooth in a blender or with a mortar and pestle.
Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat, then add the blended beans and sugar into the pan.
Continue to cook and stir regularly until it thickens into a paste.
Remove the red mung bean paste from the heat and let it cool.
Portion and shape the paste into balls with a tablespoon. Place the balls on a baking sheet and refrigerate them for 10 to 15 minutes.
Buchi Dough:
Bring the water to a boil in a saucepot, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Remove it from the heat source.
Place the glutinous rice flour in a big bowl, make a well in the centre, then carefully pour in half of the hot sugar water.
Stir the mixture with a spatula, then add the remaining hot sugar water. Combine the mixture until it becomes a smooth dough.
Pinch the dough with your fingers and flatten it. If it falls apart, add 15ml of water each time until it reaches the right consistency. It should feel wet but not sticky.
Set the dough aside for 20 to 30 minutes.
Assembling the Buchi:
Roll the dough into a cylindrical shape and cut it into equal portions.
Roll each portion with the palm of your hands into 5cm wide balls. Keep rolling the ball until it’s smooth.
Repeat Step 2 for the remaining dough and arrange the balls on the baking sheet. Cover them with cling wrap until ready to use.
Take a ball and make an indentation in the centre with your thumb. Gently enlarge the indentation to fit the red bean filling.
Pinch the dough together to seal it tightly and roll it repeatedly with your palm until it’s smooth.
Rinse the sesame seeds in a sieve with cold, running water. Drain well until the seeds are moist and not dripping wet.
Spread the sesame seeds on a flat dish and gently roll the balls in the sesame seeds. Make sure to evenly coat the balls and lightly press the seeds to ensure it sticks well.
Repeat this process for the remaining dough and filling.
Frying the Buchi:
Pour 8cm worth of canola oil into a large pot and heat it to 160°C. The oil should fully submerge the balls. Add more if it doesn’t.
Gently place the balls in batches into the oil. Remember not to overcrowd the pot.
The oil temperature will drop to 148°C. Maintain this temperature while cooking the balls for 8 to 10 minutes. Stir the balls regularly to prevent them from sticking.
When the balls float, keep cooking them for 2 to 3 minutes by stirring and pushing them down into the oil.
Increase the temperature to 176°C and cook the buchi until golden brown.
Remove the buchi with a large slotted spoon and place them on a wire rack with parchment paper underneath.
Repeat this process for the remaining balls.
How to Make your Buchi Perfectly Spherical
To keep your buchi perfectly spherical, fry your buchis over medium heat (oil temperature at 160°C). Frying them at high heat will pop and deflate them since the outside will cook faster than the inside. It’s normal for the oil temperature to drop once the buchis are added. The oil’s temperature remain at 148°C. Continue cooking them at this temperature for 10 minutes. Don’t overcrowd the buchis to prevent them from going soggy. Remember to cook them for extra few minutes at 176°C once they float, and turn them constantly with chopsticks.
Missing some ingredients?
It’s time to whip up some buchi and share them with your colleagues at work. We’re sure it’ll blow their minds away. Before you get started, get your ingredients from pandamart! You’d need glutinous rice flour, sesame seeds, and red beans. So, place your order, and we’ll have your ingredients delivered to you under 20 minutes.
