AI-generated image
Sweet potato balls
Fried sweet potato balls
Dì guā qiú (地瓜球): hollow, chewy fried balls of sweet potato and tapioca
Queue at almost any Taiwanese night market, from Shilin in Taipei to Tainan's Flower Market, and you'll see a vendor pressing a basket of golden balls against the bottom of a wok again and again until they swell up like ping-pong balls. That pressing is the trick: it pushes out air and stretches the tapioca dough, so each ball turns hollow, with a thin, crackly shell and a bouncy, chewy wall. They come in a paper bag, sometimes dusted with plum powder. The big mistake is dropping them into hot oil, which sets the crust before they can expand, so they stay small and solid; start them in warm oil. Chef's tip: steam the sweet potato rather than boiling it, as wet mash makes a sticky dough that never puffs.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dough
- 10 ½ oz yellow or orange sweet potatoespeeled and sliced
- 5 ½ oz tapioca starchplus extra for dusting
- 1 ⅜ oz caster sugar
- 2 tbsp wateronly if needed
For frying
- 1 litre vegetable oilfor deep-frying
To serve
- 1 tsp plum powder (optional)
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Steam 10 ½ oz yellow or orange sweet potatoes over boiling water for 15 minutes, until a knife slides through with no resistance.
15 minStep 2: Mash it smoothly while hot and stir in 1 ⅜ oz caster sugar until dissolved. Leave to cool for 5 minutes, until warm but comfortable to handle.
5 minStep 3: Add 5 ½ oz tapioca starch and knead into a smooth, soft dough that doesn't stick to your hands, adding 2 tbsp water a teaspoon at a time only if it's crumbly, or a little more starch if it's tacky.
Step 4: Roll into balls the size of a large marble, about 2.5 cm, and set them on a starch-dusted tray. They puff to three times this size.
Step 5: Pour 1 litre vegetable oil into a wok or deep pan and warm it to only 140–300°F. Slide in about 12 balls and stir gently for 2 minutes, until they float.
2 minStep 6: Keep the heat at medium. Press the balls down against the bottom of the pan with a slotted spoon or ladle, hold for a second, release and repeat, for 5–6 minutes. They will steadily inflate and turn hollow. Keep your face back; stray drops can spit.
6 minStep 7: Raise the heat to 350°F and fry for 1–2 more minutes, until crisp and deep golden.
2 minStep 8: Drain on a rack, fry the rest the same way and serve hot, sprinkled with 1 tsp plum powder if you like. They lose their crispness within half an hour.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 59 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sweet potato balls take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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 yellow or orange sweet potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of caster 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
SakarpadaSweet fried dough diamonds
Sakarpada (shakarpara) are little sweet diamonds of a rich dough made with ghee, milk and sugar, fried until golden and crunchy. They are a Diwali favourite with tea, and the cubes go into bhusu too. They keep for weeks in an air-tight tin.
Indian
Yaki onigiriGrilled rice balls
Yaki onigiri (焼きおにぎり) are rice balls grilled until they form a crisp, toasty crust, then brushed with soy sauce glaze. They are eaten all over Japan, at izakaya, at barbecues and from the freezer section, as a snack or with miso soup. The inside stays soft and steamy while the outside crackles. Best eaten hot, straight from the pan. Chef's tip: let the shaped rice balls dry for 10 minutes before they go in the pan. A drier surface forms a better crust and won't stick, and the glaze goes on only at the end so it doesn't burn.
Japanese
Taiwanese grilled corn
At Raohe and Shilin night markets the grilled-corn stalls are easy to find: look for the queue and the smoky, sweet smell. Cobs are par-cooked, then turned slowly over charcoal while the cook brushes them with a dark glaze of sacha sauce, thick soy paste, garlic and chilli, layer after layer, until the kernels are sticky, slightly charred and deeply savoury. It is eaten hot from a paper sleeve while walking the market. Sacha (shacha) sauce, a Taiwanese barbecue paste, usually contains dried fish and shrimp; vegetarian sacha is sold in Asian shops. Contains soy, wheat and fish. Chef's tip: brush thin coats and turn often; one thick coat burns before the corn chars.