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    Home » Recipes » Pantry

    Chinese Sesame Cookie Balls (Fried Sesame Balls)

    Last Modified: September 27, 2018 by Elaine| 15 Comments

    524 shares
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    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    A famous Chinese deep-fried snack for Chinese New Year——开口笑 (Chinese sesame cookie balls).

    Chinese laughing balls | ChinaSichuanFood.com

    There are lots of symbolic food for traditional Chinese new year especially round balls. Roundness is considered as a kind of perfectness in Chinese culture and also the reunion of the all family. We usually make a large batch of snacks to serve among the meals when the family are chatting with each other. In the year of 2016, I made lots of butter cookies and almond cookies. For the new year of 2017, I make those little deep-fried sesame balls. Compared with the other sesame balls made from sticky rice flour (Jian dui), those smiling sesame balls are much easier to store and carry.

    Chinese laughing balls | chinasichuanfood.com

    You can find lots of interesting food names from Chinese cuisine. Chinese people love to name their food by extended meanings for example mapo tofu (tofu created by mapo, a old pockmark lady). After deep-frying, a small crack opens like a smiling mouth. That’s why we get such a lovely name.

    You can serve it as a tea cookie or snack.

    Chinese laughing balls | ChinaSichuanFood.com

    Ingredients

    • 300 g (2 ½ cups) cake flour
    • 1 and ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • a tiny pinch of salt
    • 150 g (scant ¾ cup) caster sugar
    • 50ml water (warm water)
    • 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
    • 1 egg
    • 1 cup white sesame seeds

    Instructions

    Shift flour, baking powder, salt and set aside. Then dissolve sugar in warm water and whisk egg.

    Then mix all the dry ingredients with sugar water, egg and oil. Knead into a soft dough. The dough should be quite soft but non-sticky. If it is too sticky to handle, add around 1 tablespoon of flour each time and knead well until a well shaped dough.

    Chinese laughing balls | ChinaSichuanFood.com

    Then divide into 40 small portions and round one into a around ball and roll into sesame seeds. Repeat to finish all.

    Chinese laughing balls | ChinaSichuanFood.com

    Chinese laughing balls steps-5

    Heat up oil to 160 degree C, lower your heat and dip the sesame balls in. Deep-fry for 3 minutes with medium to slow fire. Stir the balls at intervals so they can be evenly fried.

    Chinese laughing balls | ChinaSichuanFood.com

    Chinese laughing balls | ChinaSichuanFood.com

    Chinese Laughing Balls

    Elaine
    Chinese deep-fried sesame balls (Chinese laughing balls)
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Snack
    Cuisine Chinese
    Servings 40 Making 40 bite size sesame balls
    Calories 71 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 300 g cake flour , about 2.5 cups
    • 1.5 tsp. baking powder
    • a tiny pinch of salt
    • 150 g caster sugar , scant ¾ cup
    • 50 ml water , warm water
    • 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
    • 1 egg
    • 1 cup white sesame seeds

    Instructions

    • Shift flour, baking powder, salt and set aside. Then dissolve sugar in warm water and whisk egg.
    • Then mix all the dry ingredients with sugar water, egg and oil. Knead into a soft dough. Then divide into 40 small portions and round each one into a small ball.
    • Strain some water on surface and roll into sesame balls.
    • Heat up oil to 160 degree C and dip the sesame balls in. Deep-fry for 4-5 minutes with medium to slow fire. Stir the balls at intervals so they can be evenly fried.

    Notes

    Those sesame balls can be kept in air-tight container up for 2 weeks.
     
    The Nutrition Facts is based on each single ball.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 71kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 1gFat: 2gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 2mgPotassium: 45mgSugar: 3gVitamin A: 5IUCalcium: 46mgIron: 0.6mg
    Keyword egg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @ChinaSichuanFood

    Chinese laughing balls | chinasichuanfood.com

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. cathy

      March 10, 2017 at 10:16 pm

      I LOVE THESE THINGS!!! My mom used to make them when I was little. YUM!!!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        March 11, 2017 at 10:46 am

        Thanks cathy, it's also my childhood memory.

        Reply
    2. Mary

      March 11, 2017 at 8:21 am

      How much baking soda is needed?

      Reply
      • Elaine

        March 11, 2017 at 11:36 am

        Hi Mary,
        Typo here, no baking soda needed for this recipe. Baking powder is capable for the fluffy texture.

        Reply
    3. Wei @ Red House Spice

      March 12, 2017 at 7:29 am

      Wow! So yummy. I almost forgot about these laughing balls. Used to have them quite often in China. Your ones look so authentic. Unfortunately, deep frying is not my preferred cook method. I'm wondering if there is another way to make it. How about in the oven?

      Reply
      • Elaine

        March 12, 2017 at 2:57 pm

        You can bake them too. 180 degree C, 18 to 20 minutes.

        Reply
        • Wei @ Red House Spice

          March 16, 2017 at 4:27 pm

          Thanks! Will have a try!

          Reply
    4. pthere

      March 18, 2017 at 5:33 am

      These laughing balls are great and so easy to make. I even made little pockets in the dough and put in mixed fruit. And they came out very well. Cheers Peter.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        March 20, 2017 at 9:56 am

        Nice to hear that. Cheers!

        Reply
    5. Robert Erman

      November 13, 2017 at 3:45 pm

      5 stars
      This is a favorite snack. Chinese Laughing Balls is very delicious...So awful.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        November 15, 2017 at 8:19 am

        Yes, one of the most popular snack for Chinese New Year.

        Reply
    6. Shtakshi Prakash

      February 20, 2020 at 2:50 pm

      This *Sesame smiley* is so similar or same as what we called our one of the authentic sweet snack *Anarsa* here in Bihar(an Indian state which shares border with nepal and very much near to the Chinese border) As I m from Bihar and I have this a lot from childhood always buying from small local vendors as they made this *Anarsa* very crispy without filling the sweet mawa(a jam like thing prepared of milk) inside unlike some big sweet soaps that's what made those small vendors sesame smiley or Anarsa more crispy. I m surprised to know that we have some same sweet snack as of China :))
      PS:- We prepare it with Rice flour and lil amount of all purpose flour in it, also we don't use eggs in it.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        February 22, 2020 at 9:25 am

        We get sticky rice flour version, but never tried the mixed version. Hope I can eat the Anarsa mentioned.

        Reply
    7. Jennifer

      November 23, 2020 at 12:46 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you!! My father was thinking of this from his childhood, and this recipe was simple and perfect.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        November 24, 2020 at 8:46 am

        My pleasure, Jennifer. Happy cooking!

        Reply

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