Have you ever seen those famous sweet potato balls in Taiwan and suddenly craved them too? These potato balls are crispy on the outside but hollow on the inside! You can recreate this popular street food with only three key ingredients: sweet potato slices, sugar, and glutinous rice flour.
It may look simple and easy to make, but there are actually three guaranteed tips that will help you make the ultimate sweet potato balls. In this quick guide, I share my top three secret tips on how to make a successful sweet potato ball. Before you begin, check out my short tutorial guide on Instagram and TikTok and see my tips done in action.
Follow These Top Three Tips!
When making sweet potato balls, you start by steaming the thin sweet potato slices. You will need 200g of sweet potato slices cooked in a steamer or any equipment that can steam without a steamer, such as a rice cooker, pan with a sieve, or microwave. After steaming, add 50g of sugar to make it sweeter.
You can adjust the sweetness according to your preference. The steamed sweet potatoes and sugar are mixed and mashed until you get a smooth and creamy consistency. After preparing the mashed potatoes, follow my top three tips below to create the perfect sweet potato balls.
Tip #1 – Add Glutinous Rice Flour While Hot
When the sweet potatoes are still hot, add glutinous rice flour. What makes glutinous rice flour ideal for sweet potato balls is that it gives it its chewy texture.
If you need something gluten-free, this is the best alternative to wheat flour. It only has a neutral taste and will not add flavor or sweetness to the balls.
You can swap glutinous rice flour with rice flour or tapioca flour. However, keep in mind the texture will change, depending on the flour used.
Tip #2 – Use More Glutinous Rice Flour
The overall texture depends on the amount of glutinous rice flour used. Ideally, using more glutinous rice flour than sweet potatoes is best.
Keep adding glutinous rice flour until you get a firm dough. Once you have a firm dough, you can shape the dough into small balls of about 20 to 25 grams.
If you lack glutinous rice flour, you can use rice flour or tapioca flour as additional flour for the mixture. To add more crunch to the balls, mix in a little amount of corn flour to the mixture.
Tip #3 – Cook The Balls In Hot Oil At About 150°C (302°F)
The balls should be deep-fried in hot oil at about 150°C (302°F). Fry the balls until golden brown and crispy, which typically takes 3 to 5 minutes. You will also know the balls are cooked when they float to the top of the pan.
Once you have the balls, you can enhance the texture by coating them with bread crumbs. Deep-fry the coated balls in oil until the bread crumbs are cooked and crispy.
Ingredients & Kitchen Tools To Make Sweet Potato Balls
Use a steamer or a pan with a sieve to steam the sweet potatoes until soft. You will also need a cooking pot for deep-frying and a strainer ladle to drain the oil. Here’s a complete list of things you need to make sweet potato balls.
Kitchen Tools
- Steamer
- Cooking pot
- Sieve or strainer ladle
- Bamboo skewers (optional)
Ingredients
- 200g of sweet potato slices
- 50g of white sugar
- 60g glutinous rice flour
- Bread crumbs (for coating, it is option)
- Oil (enough oil for deep-frying)
How To Make Sweet Potato Balls
Follow the step-by-step instructions on how to make sweet potato balls. Don’t forget to follow my top three tips above as you go along with the recipe instructions. Lastly, don’t forget to tag @kitchenmisadventures and share your creations online!
Peel the skin and slice the sweet potatoes into thin slices.
Steam the potato slices in a pan or steamer.The potatoes should be soft enough for mashing.
Add sugar and mash the potatoes until you get a smooth consistency.
Then, gradually add glutinous rice flour until you create a firm dough. It should be pliable but not too wet.
Next, shape the mixture into small balls of about 20 to 25 grams each.
Afterward, fry the potato balls in oil at about 150°C ( 302°F).
Fry them until they turn golden brown and crispy.
Make two varieties of sweet potato balls by making another batch of potato balls coated with bread crumbs. Coat each ball with bread crumbs and deep-fry it in oil.
Insert the balls in bamboo skewers for a fun street food vibe.
If you love potatoes, try my other potato recipes, such as Purple Sweet Potato Paste
All-Natural Purple Sweet Potato Bun, and Salt And Pepper Potatoes.
How To Make Sweet Potato Balls
Equipment
- Steamer
- Cooking pot
- Sieve or strainer ladle
- Bamboo skewers (optional)
Ingredients
- 200 g of sweet potato slices
- 50 g of white sugar
- 60 g Glutinous rice flour
- Bread crumbs for coating, it is option
- Oil enough oil for deep-frying
Instructions
- Peel the skin and slice the sweet potatoes into thin slices.
- Steam the potato slices in a pan or steamer.The potatoes should be soft enough for mashing.
- Add sugar and mash the potatoes until you get a smooth consistency.
- Then, gradually add glutinous rice flour until you create a firm dough. It should be pliable but not too wet.
- Next, shape the mixture into small balls of about 20 to 25 grams each.
- Afterward, fry the potato balls in oil at about 150°C ( 302°F).
- Fry them until they turn golden brown and crispy.
- Make two varieties of sweet potato balls by making another batch of potato balls coated with bread crumbs. Coat each ball with bread crumbs and deep-fry it in oil.
- Insert the balls in bamboo skewers for a fun street food vibe.
