Red bean glutinous rice balls
Made this for work Christmas party 2014, based on bringing something that is "traditional to my culture".
Red bean filling
Adapted from Christine's recipes
1 cup dry red (adzuki) bean
3 cup water
Wash and soak overnight
Drain and boil beans at ratio 1:2 bean to water on medium flame.
Takes 50-60 minutes.
When most of the water has evaporated, and the beans mixture is slightly thick with some liquid left, add sugar (rock or other) to taste. 1/2 cup, roughly. Beans should be quite soft and on the verge of being mashable.
Turn flame to medium low to prevent sugar from burning and caramelising too quickly.
Bean mixture will thicken more due to sugar (syrup). Stir until remaining water has evaporated and left with a mushy bean mixture. Transfer to a bowl.
Add 1/2 cup canola (or flavourless oil) and mash beans with a spoon to make a paste, or mash/push through a sieve to remove skins. I like it semi mashed with some whole red beans for texture and fibre! Add more oil for smoother paste.
Set aside to cool until ready to use. Could probably keep in fridge for 3-4 days.
Glutinous rice dough wrapper
300g glutinous rice flour
150g sugar (white or icing for aesthetics)
1/2-3/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup canola or flavourless oil
Enough cold water to make dough come together
Add hot water to flour and sugar. Mix to start dough.
Alternate small amounts of cold water and oil until dough comes together as a dry-ish, smooth ball.
Cover with moist cloth until ready to use.
Making the balls
Make rounds of dough (20g small, 30g large), flatten and add a spoon of red bean filling. Close wrapper around filling and roll into balls.
Set aside on a baking paper/ plastic lined tray, and freeze until ready to cook. Each ball shouldn't touch each other otherwise they'll stick.
Drop frozen or freshly made balls into boiling water and let them sink. After a 4-5 minutes, make sure the balls aren't sticking to the bottom of the pot. Continue boiling at med-low heat until they float.
Drain and roll immediately, 1-2 at a time, in desiccated coconut (using chopsticks for ease and neatness).
Serve within 1-2 days. Otherwise they go hard.
