AI-generated image
Ludagun (donkey rolls)
Rice rolls with red bean paste
Lǘ dǎ gǔn (驴打滚): steamed glutinous rice rolled with red bean paste and coated in toasted soybean flour
The name means 'donkey rolling in the dust', after the golden soybean flour that coats these soft rolls like a donkey that has rolled on a dusty road. It's one of the old Beijing sweets sold at temple fairs and in snack streets near Houhai, often next to pea-flour cakes. Inside is chewy glutinous rice dough spread with red bean paste and rolled into a spiral. Chef's tip: toast the soybean flour yourself until it smells of roasted nuts; the shop-bought kind is often pale and flat-tasting.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 7 oz glutinous rice flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tsp neutral oilfor the tray
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Whisk 7 oz glutinous rice flour, 1 tbsp sugar and ¾ cup water to a smooth, thick batter. Pour into a heatproof dish brushed with 1 tsp neutral oil.
Step 2: Steam over a high heat for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway, until the dough is translucent all over with no white patches.
20 minStep 3: Meanwhile, toast 2 ⅛ oz kinako (roasted soy bean powder) in a dry frying pan over a low heat, stirring all the time, for 4–5 minutes, until it turns a shade darker and smells nutty. Tip onto a plate to stop it cooking.
5 minStep 4: Sprinkle a third of the soybean flour over a sheet of baking paper. Scrape the hot dough onto it, dust the top and, with oiled hands, press it into a rectangle about 5 mm thick. Common mistake: using too little flour, so the sticky dough clings to everything.
Step 5: Spread 7 oz sweetened red bean paste evenly over the dough, leaving 1 cm clear on one long side. Roll up tightly from the other long side, using the paper to help.
Step 6: Roll the log in the remaining soybean flour and cut into 3 cm pieces with a knife dipped in water. Eat the same day, at room temperature.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ludagun (donkey rolls) take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Kartoshka cakeCocoa and cake crumb truffles
Soviet cafés and school canteens sold these knobbly brown 'potatoes' for a few kopecks, and they began as a thrifty way to use up sponge and biscuit trimmings at the bakery. Crumbs are bound with butter and sweetened condensed milk, flavoured with cocoa and vanilla, shaped into little potatoes, rolled in cocoa and finished with two dabs of pale butter cream for the sprouts. They are fudgy and dense like a brownie truffle, need no oven, and children love making them. Traditional bakers added a spoonful of rum, an optional extra for adult batches only; this version is alcohol-free with vanilla. The usual slip is coarse crumbs, which make the potatoes crack, so blitz them as fine as sand. Chef's tip: chill the shaped potatoes for at least 20 minutes so they hold their shape and slice cleanly.
Russian
Undu walaluFried urad dal rings in treacle
Walalu means bangles, and these dark, sticky rings of fried urad dal soaked in kithul treacle are a sweet that Sinhala families bring out for Avurudu and for special almsgivings, often made in large batches by an aunt known for her steady hand. A thick, fluffy paste of ground black gram is piped into loops and fried until crisp, then plunged straight into warm treacle, so the rings stay crunchy on the outside while drinking up the syrup. They taste a little like a darker, smokier jalebi, with a toffee finish from the palm treacle. Watery batter is what ruins them; it spreads into flat blobs, so grind the soaked dal with as little water as possible and beat it until light. This recipe uses no asafoetida, so it is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: pipe the rings onto small squares of baking paper and lower them into the oil paper and all; the paper peels away in seconds.
Sri Lankan
Apple & pear puree
A smooth, naturally sweet puree of gently stewed apple and pear, one of the first foods for babies of 4–8 months. The fruit cooks in a little unsweetened apple juice, so nothing else is needed. Serve it lukewarm; any leftover keeps covered in the fridge for a day, or freezes well in small pots.