Glutinous Rice Balls (糯米糍 Nuo Mi Ci)

My sister is sick with the stomach flu. She gets it a few times a year. It isn’t supposed to be anything serious, but something that happens to all kids (Carolyn is six). But looking at the perpetual frown on her darling little face, I can’t help but feel terrible. Since eight this morning I’ve had to help her throw up three times. 😦

So I’m sitting beside her on the computer, watching her watch TV, and trying to keep fluids down in her so she doesn’t become dehydrated. Poor Carolyn, not even Curious George is doing a good enough job at distracting her. I hope she gets better very soon, so she can enjoy the glutinous rice balls that I’ve made.

So, we have glutinous rice balls, called 糯米糍 (nuo mi ci) in Chinese, is a type of dessert or snack found in most Chinatown bakeries overseas. It is made of glutinous rice flour mixed with water or milk and sugar, and filled with various fillings such as red bean paste, black sesame, or peanuts. It is then rolled in shredded coconut and served in paper cupcake liners. There seems to be two ways of making these chewy snacks. One is by mixing the dough, putting the whole sticky mass onto a plate, steaming it thoroughly, then adding filling and  shaped into balls. The other way, the way I chose to make it, is by filling and shaping first, then cooking it. I boiled mine, although there are recipes out there that call for steaming.

Unfortunately, I didn’t stick with precise measurements for making my rice balls. It amounts to mixing some rice flour (found in Chinese grocery stores) with sugar (to taste) and adding enough warm coconut milk (found in cans also at Chinese groceries) to form a very soft, slightly sticky dough. Continue to work the dough until it is smooth and pliable. Divide into balls about the size of golf balls. Divide your filling of choice – I used red bean paste purchased from Chinese grocery. Flatten the balls of dough slightly in your hand, place a dollop of filling in each, and gather up the sides to seal. Roll between your hands to form an uniform ball (I wasn’t very good at doing that so mine are a bit lopsided XD). Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop the rice balls in, cooking until they float. Shake coconut flakes onto a flate and coat the boiled rice balls evenly on all sides. Place on cupcake liners to share with others, or place in your mouth for a delectable and cultural taste. 😉

I liked mine slightly warm, although cold ones taste just as good. Next time I will try to make them again using the steam method. 🙂

Happy cooking! 😀