Mini Sesame Balls 迷你芝麻球

I vaguely remembered having these when I was a little girl. I dont remember how it tasted like though.



After trying them out after so many years, I find that its like eating the deep version of Muah Chee. Its sort of crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Sadly, It didnt bring back my childhood memories. :P

Ingredients:

• 250g Glutinous Rice Flour


• 20g All purpose/Plain Flour


• 1/3 teaspoon Vanilla Essence 


• 1 Egg, lightly beaten


• White Sesame Seed for coating


• Oil for deep frying

Sugar Solution:

• 80g White Sugar


• 140ml Water

How to do it:

1. Prepare the sugar solution by simmering the sugar in water till it dissolved.


2. Set aside to cool for later use.


3. Mix glutinous flour and plain flour together.


4. Add the sugar solution, vanilla essence and egg to the flour mixture.


5. Mix and knead into a smooth dough.


6. Roll dough about 5g-7g into a ball.


7. Coat with white sesame seeds.


8. Deep fry till golden brown.


9. Remove and drain on paper towel.

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Italian Rice Croquettes aka Rice Balls aka Arancini – Back by Popular Demand… Aunt Angela and Uncle Bill D’Arduini!

I just flew back from New York, and boy, are my jokes tired (as you’ll hear). So is everything else, and there’s no rest for the weary as I pack for a quick trip to see the team at Allrecipes.com in Seattle. So, time is short, and I’m posting this incredibly delicious Italian rice croquette recipe, sans extra wordy article.

There isn’t much to add anyway; what you see is what you get. This great appetizer was filmed at a recent family dinner at my Aunt Angela and Uncle Billy D’Arduini’s, and if they sound familiar, they should! They’ve been featured on the blog numerous times; in such smash hit recipes as, Cabbage Rolls, Chicken D’Arduini, and Homemade Pasta.

You can definitely do this recipe completely vegetarian, by skipping the giblets, or switch those out for almost any other cooked meat. Sausage, prosciutto, or ham are just a few of the many options.

When it comes to the rice, we used a standard long rain, and went with a 2 parts water to 1 part rice ratio. You want fully hydrated and completely cooked grain. Al dente rice is not going to work here. Slightly overcooked is not a problem.

Anyway, Id like to thank Aunt Angela and Uncle Bill for sharing their recipe, and I hope you can give it a try soon. It would be a great addition to any party menu. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

*Sorry, I never found out how many this makes, but I’m guessing about 70-80

2 pounds cooked chicken giblets (gizzards and hearts)

2 cups rice cooked in 4 cups salted water

2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp parsley, optional

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

2 large eggs

1/2 cup marinara sauce

salt and pepper to taste

plain breadcrumbs, as needed

vegetable oil for frying

lemon wedges

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Icelandic doughnut balls Ástarpungar

The name ástarpungar means “love balls.”
These are a delicious workaday kind of fried pastries that are still made weekly in some households. My paternal grandmother always has some ready for guests.

I really like these little doughnuts, especially warm with a glass of cold milk. Make them and everyone will love you for it ;-)

Ingredients:
4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
to taste: raisins

Method:
Mix the dry ingredients well in a bowl, add the rest and mix into a smooth batter. Batter should not be very thick. Unlike regular twisted doughnuts which are made with kneaded dough and need very high temperatures to fry properly, these doughnuts can be fried in a regular deep fryer. Use whatever frying fat you like best, heated to the highest temperature the deep fryer offers. Drop dollops of dough into the frying fat with two teaspoons and fish out when they have turned a dark brown colour. Drain on paper towels. Some people like to sprinkle icing sugar on them, but I prefer them plain. Can be eaten hot or cold and freeze well.

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Coconut Balls Kókoskúlur

One of the things I got frequent requests for back before I closed my public e-mail account because of spam overload was Kókoskúlur or Coconut Balls. These are candies or no-bake cookies sold in most Icelandic bakeries. I was unable to find a recipe and no bakers were willing to part with one, so I had to give up. Now I have finally found a recipe. I don’t know if it is the right one, as I haven’t tested it, but I plan to make it on the weekend and do a taste comparison with a bakery-bought specimen. I can tell you right away that there is one ingredient missing that some (but not all) bakeries put in their coconut balls: rum essence.

Here is what they look like:



Ingredients
75 g (1/3 cup + 1 tsp) butter, soft
100 ml (2/5 cup) sugar
1 tbs vanilla sugar
300 ml (1 1/3 cups) oatmeal, the quick-cooking kind. Do not use instant as these have added salt.
175 g (6.3 oz) chocolate
2 tbs milk, at room temperature
100 ml (2/5 cup) desiccated coconut (small flakes)

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a water bath. Mix together butter, sugar, vanilla sugar, melted chocolate, oatmeal and milk. Form into small balls and roll to coat with coconut. Chill before serving.
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Edit: Looks like I will have to delay the testing - Ive been invited on a camping trip this weekend.

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