Chinese Sesame Balls Jian Dui with Black Sesame Paste Recipe
Jian dui is a popular Chinese dessert, often served during holidays and at street stalls. These are small balls made from glutinous rice dough, coated in sesame seeds and fried until golden and lightly crisp on the outside, while soft and bouncy inside. In this version they’re filled with aromatic black sesame paste, a bit like a doughnut and a sesame candy in one bite.
Jian dui appear in many regions of China during festivals as a symbol of luck and prosperity, because they puff up a lot while frying. In Cantonese dim sum they’re often filled with sweet red bean paste, while the black sesame version is especially popular as a homemade dessert.
Chinese sesame balls jian dui are a dessert with a surprising texture – a crisp, sesame-coated shell hides a chewy glutinous rice dough and aromatic black sesame paste inside. This contrast between the slight bitterness of toasted sesame and the gentle sweetness of the filling makes it hard to stop at just one. In China they often appear during holidays and family gatherings, but in a homemade version they’re a great alternative to classic doughnuts or fried pastries.
Why this version works
- Chilled black sesame filling is easy to shape and doesn’t leak out during frying.
- Thoroughly kneading the dough until smooth minimizes cracking when the balls hit the hot oil.
- Frying at 150–160°C lets the dough slowly puff up and cook through without burning the sesame coating.
- Carefully coating the balls and pressing on the sesame seeds creates an even, crisp crust that doesn’t fall off.
Chef's tips
Knead the glutinous rice dough until it’s smooth and slightly elastic – if it crumbles, add a bit more hot water, drop by drop. Shape the balls carefully without cracks, otherwise during frying the fat will get inside and the dessert will soak up oil. Fry at a medium temperature: oil that’s too hot will brown the sesame quickly while the centre stays raw, so it’s better to let them gently “grow” in the oil for a few minutes.
How to serve
Serve jian dui still slightly warm with a cup of green or jasmine tea – the brew beautifully enhances the sesame aroma. For casual get-togethers you can arrange them on a large platter alongside fresh fruit and pieces of dark chocolate as an alternative to cake. They also work great as a sweet snack for a board-game night or TV marathon instead of chips.
Watch out for
- If there are cracks or spots where the filling shows through, oil will seep inside and the filling will start to leak out.
- If the oil is too hot, the sesame will darken quickly while the inside stays undercooked and gummy – lower the heat if the balls brown in less than 2–3 minutes.
- Don’t add too many balls to the oil at once, or they’ll drop the temperature and soak up more fat.
Substitutions
- You can replace the butter in the filling with coconut oil, which will add a delicate coconut aroma.
- You can substitute white sesame seeds for black, but the flavour will be milder and less pleasantly bitter.
Ingredients
- glutinous rice flour do not substitute with regular rice flour; available in Asian stores - 250 g
- sugar for the dough - 70 g
- hot water not boiling, but very warm - 160 ml
- black sesame seeds for the filling; you can use white sesame, but the flavour will be milder - 60 g
- sugar for the filling - 40 g
- butter or coconut oil melted, for the filling - 25 g
- white sesame seeds for coating the balls - 80 g
- oil for deep-frying; the amount depends on the pot - 700 ml
Preparation
- Prepare the filling: toast the black sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 3–5 minutes, stirring often, until they become very fragrant, start to pop slightly and turn a bit darker, but don’t let them burn.
- Let the toasted sesame cool, then grind it in a coffee grinder or blender into a fine powder resembling wet sand. Mix with powdered sugar and melted butter or coconut oil until you get a thick, sticky paste that holds its shape.
- Form small balls from the paste, about the size of a hazelnut (approx. 8–10 g), and place them on a plate. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, until they have clearly firmed up and no longer stick to your fingers.
- Put the glutinous rice flour and sugar into a bowl. Gradually pour in the hot water, stirring with a spoon until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms; when it cools a little, knead for 3–4 minutes until smooth and free of cracks.
- If the dough is crumbly or has dry cracks, add hot water a teaspoon at a time and knead until the surface is as smooth as modelling clay. Divide the finished dough into portions of about 20 g and roll into balls.
- Flatten each dough ball in your hand into a disc, leaving the centre slightly thicker than the edges. Place a chilled ball of filling in the middle, pull the edges up, seal the seam well and roll again into a smooth ball with no filling showing through.
- Pour the white sesame seeds into a wide bowl. Lightly moisten each ball with water, coat thoroughly in sesame and gently press the seeds on with your hands so they form an even, dense layer over the entire surface.
- Heat the oil in a pot or deep pan to 150–160°C. If you don’t have a thermometer, drop in a small piece of dough: it should slowly float to the surface and gently sizzle, only starting to brown after several dozen seconds.
- Fry the balls in batches of a few at a time for 6–8 minutes, gently moving them with a slotted spoon or chopsticks so they turn. At first they will lie on the bottom, then they’ll float up and puff noticeably; when the sesame is evenly golden, lift them out onto paper towel.
- Wait 5–10 minutes before eating, as the filling inside is very hot and can burn. Serve the balls slightly warm or at room temperature, when the dough is bouncy and the crust still delicately crisp.
Storage
Store cooled sesame balls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a day, or in the fridge for 2–3 days. Reheat briefly in a low oven or in an air fryer to refresh the texture.
I make these balls once a year around Chinese New Year – I set aside an evening just for shaping, frying and nibbling “for testing” straight from the paper towel. I always try to hide a few in a box for the next day, but they usually disappear before they’ve even fully cooled.
