Chè trôi nước - Glutinous Rice Balls

By Helen Le Published: December 3, 2012

  • Prep: 40 mins
  • Cook: 30 mins
  • Ready In: 2 hrs 10 mins

  • Yield: 22 balls (golf ball size) (6-8 Servings)

TIP: *If you want firmer dumplings, mix 350g glutinous rice flour with 50g rice flour

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Ingredients
Instructions
  • To make the filling, wash the mung beans a few times and soak in water for at least 1 hour. Cook in a rice cooker with 1 cup water until soft. Add salt, crispy fried shallot, vegetable oil to the cooked mung bean, and grind into a paste with a pestle or a food processor. Grease your hands with vegetable oil and shape the mung bean paste into balls, each about 1 tablespoon worth.
  • To make the dough, add 360ml (1.5 cup) luke warm water (40-60°C) into the glutinous rice flour gradually and mix well. Knead for a few minutes to form a dough. Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes. Then knead again for a few more minutes. The water amount might vary a bit depending on the quality of the flour.
  • To shape the dumplings, grease your hands with vegetable oil. Pinch a piece of dough and make into a ball. Flatten it out into a 1cm(1/8 in) thick disk. Place a mung bean ball in the center. Pinch the edges together to seal. Try to avoid gaps between the dough and the filling ball. Roll between the palms to form a smooth ball. Place the glutinous balls on a baking sheet or a greased plate to avoid sticking.
  • To make the ginger syrup, in a large sauce pan, combine water, sugar, salt and ginger and bring to a boil. Then simmer on medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes so that ginger infuses the syrup. Transfer the cooked dumplings to the syrup and sprinkle roasted sesame on top.
  • To make “banh troi”, use diced cane sugar as filling instead of mung bean paste. The balls are much smaller in size (abt 3cm diameter). Serve separately without ginger syrup

TIP:
*If you want firmer dumplings, mix 350g glutinous rice flour with 50g rice flour