Description
A hugely popular night market sweet Xiaochi where dough of steamed sweet potato and sweet potato flour is repeatedly 'squashed with a ladle' in oil, puffing up into giant hollow chewy balls.
Restaurants serving Deep-fried Sweet Potato Balls
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We are researching restaurants that serve this dish.
On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Sweet potato(or Purple yam)
- Sweet potato flour(Digua Fen)
- Sugar
- Frying oil
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- [Dough] Peel and slice sweet potatoes (or purple yams), steam until soft.
- Mash completely while hot, add sugar (adjusting to yam's sweetness) to dissolve.
- Gradually add 'sweet potato flour (Digua Fen)', kneading into a smooth, earlobe-firm dough (do not add water).
- Roll into small (marble-sized) balls.
- [The Magical Step] Drop balls into low 140°C oil. When they float, use a special perforated ladle (or spatula) to press them 'firmly' against the bottom of the pot, squashing them flat.
- The squashed dough absorbs oil and immediately bounces back round. Repeating this 'squash and bounce' multiple times (10+) traps air inside, puffing them up into 'hollow chewy balls' several times their original size.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
None
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Japanese sweet potato (Beniharuka, etc.), Shiratamako (texture changes slightly)
Pairing
Tapioca Milk Tea
Trivia
[For Women] A massively trending walking sweet in Shin-Okubo too. The outside is 'crisp', inside is 'ultra-chewy', and the center is completely hollow—a mysterious texture. The performance of artisans putting their whole weight on the ladle to squash them is a must-see.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Ask for a mix of plain sweet potato and purple yam colors (two-tone) in a paper bag, pierce with a bamboo skewer while walking, and enjoy it as if eating air!
Allergen
None