Top 10 Easiest Ways to Make Glutinous Rice Balls at Home

1. Blue pea flower glutinous rice balls

Ingredients:

• Mung beans
• Coconut milk
• Glutinous rice flour
• Rice flour
• Sugar
• Blue pea flowers

Instructions:

• Soak mung beans until they swell, cook with coconut milk until soft, grind finely, season to taste slightly sweet then fry and squeeze the filling. Clean blue pea flowers for color extraction.
• Make coconut milk. Put coconut milk pot on the stove including coconut candy, salted sugar, then cook until boiling, season again remember to season slightly hard to eat with glutinous rice balls, season after mixing a little rice flour to thicken, then bring down for each cup, take glutinous rice flour and add blue pea flower water to knead until fit. Boil a pot of boiling water, mold the bean filling and then add it in. The cake floats up when cooked, scoop it out and soak it in cold water.
• Cook some sweet syrup and enough candy to soak the cake and then roll it for the cake to soak the syrup, scoop it out and put it in coconut milk and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. That's how to make glutinous rice balls.

2. Sweet potato glutinous rice balls

Ingredients:

• Sweet potato
• Tapioca starch
• Glutinous rice flour
• Palm sugar or rock sugar
• Ginger
• Peeled mung beans
• Water, coconut milk
• Cane sugar
• Fresh ginger, toasted peanuts, grated coconut

Instructions:

• Soak mung beans for 3 hours. Peel sweet potatoes. Steam peeled mung beans and sweet potatoes until cooked.
• Quickly mix cooked mung beans with cane sugar while hot, let it cool, then stir-fry to let the sugar soak into the mung beans. (If desired, make filling like filling for baked cakes) adjust sweetness to taste.
• Steam cooked sweet potatoes and mash. Ratio of sweet potatoes to glutinous rice flour: 1:1. Mix evenly, add 1 part tapioca starch to the ratio: 5 sweet potatoes: 1 tapioca starch. Skip tapioca starch if desired. Increase sweetness for the cake crust with cane sugar, if using palm sugar or rock sugar, make sugar syrup.
• Mix dough: mix evenly the mixture of sweet potatoes, glutinous rice flour, tapioca starch, sugar, add coconut milk or water. Knead into a smooth, non-sticky mass.
• Divide the filling evenly into small pieces. Mold the cake: shape the dough into round pieces, flatten, place the filling in the middle, wrap and shape again.
• Boil a pot of boiling water: put the cakes in to cook, when the cakes float up, they are cooked, scoop them out and immediately put them in a basin of cold water.
• Boil a pot of ginger sugar water. If using palm sugar or rock sugar, it will be the most delicious. Put the cakes in, boil and remove from heat. Because the cakes already have sweet filling and crust, it does not need to be boiled for long. If cooking and eating immediately, you can boil for about 2-3 minutes for the cake crust to absorb the ginger sugar water for fragrance. If not eating immediately, leave the pot of sugar water intact with the cakes. When eating, sprinkle some peanuts, grated coconut (with or without).
• The filling can also be added with grated coconut. Or change the filling to peanuts, sesame, sugar.

3. Five-color vegetarian glutinous rice balls

Ingredients:

• Flour
• Brown sugar
• Mung beans
• Sesame seeds
• Cane sugar
• Tapioca starch
• Blue pea flowers, beetroot, pandan leaves, and turmeric

Instructions:

• Prepare pre-colored flour from blue pea flowers, beetroot, pandan leaves, and turmeric. Brown sugar is pre-purchased. You can dye the flour yourself or buy the combo now readily available for convenience. Roast sesame seeds until fragrant.
• Take a small amount of flour, press flat, add brown sugar in the middle, and shape into rounds.
• Boil water, add the molded cakes to cook. When the cakes float to the surface, remove and place in a bowl of cold water with ice. Then transfer to a plate.
• Use your fingers to dip sesame seeds and lightly touch each cake to make the sesame seeds stick.

4. Coconut glutinous rice balls

Ingredients:

• 250 grams glutinous rice flour
• 15 grams wheat flour
• 120 ml warm water
• 15 grams crushed roasted peanuts
• 10 grams toasted sesame seeds
• 20 grams shredded coconut
• 200 ml water
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 piece ginger, thinly sliced

Instructions:

• Pour glutinous rice flour and wheat flour into a bowl. Slowly add warm water and knead until the dough is soft and smooth.
• Divide the dough into 7 - 10 portions and shape into round balls.
• Boil water, add the balls and cook until they float to the surface, then remove and place in a bowl of cold water. Be careful not to let the balls stick together.
• Next, make the soup by adding brown sugar to a pot with 250ml boiling water, stir until the sugar and water blend together to form a slightly thick mixture. Add some ginger for a fragrant taste, and if desired, a little tapioca starch to thicken the soup.
• Once the balls and soup are ready, pour the soup into a bowl, add the glutinous rice balls and sprinkle shredded coconut, crushed peanuts, and sesame seeds on top.

5. Brown Sugar Filled Glutinous Rice Balls

Ingredients:

• Glutinous rice flour
• Dark rice flour
• Salt
• Brown sugar balls
• Toasted black/white sesame seeds

Instructions:

• Mix both flours together, gradually add warm water at 45 degrees Celsius until the mixture forms a sticky dough, no longer separating into dry crumbs.
• Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes until smooth. The brown sugar balls are pre-cut pieces made from raw cane sugar with a ginger flavor.
• Divide the dough into portions, flatten, place a sugar ball, and shape into round balls.
• Boil water, add the balls, when the water boils again, the balls will float up in 5 minutes, indicating they are cooked. Remove and soak in a bowl of cool filtered water. Remove and drain in a basket. Arrange on small plates.
• Use fingers to gently press the balls to stick, press into a bowl of toasted sesame seeds, then press onto the balls for the sesame to adhere.
• Once cooled, the balls will have a matte surface. After a while, the sugar will melt inside, creating a fragrant, ginger-flavored, sesame-coated, sweet and chewy treat.

6. Chinese Glutinous Rice Balls - Sweet Soup with Puffed Rice

Ingredients:

• 300g glutinous rice flour
• 270ml warm water
• 100g black sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon tapioca starch
• 1/2 dried coconut
• 2 pandan leaves
• 1 small ginger, cut into strips
• Sugar (to taste)

Instructions:

• Knead the glutinous rice flour with warm water until smooth, cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes
• Toast the black sesame seeds until fragrant, grind them into a fine powder. Put the powder in a pan with 50g of sugar and a little water, mix well, then add the tapioca starch mixture, continue stirring until the filling becomes smooth
• Take 28~30g of dough, flatten it and add the black sesame filling, then wrap it up and shape it into a ball. You can sprinkle some black sesame seeds on the dough if you like
• Boil 1.5 liters of water with ginger strips, pandan leaves, sugar (brown, yellow, or palm sugar according to your preference) until the sugar dissolves. Then add the dough balls and cook until they float
• Serve in a bowl, sprinkle with some black sesame seeds and shredded coconut for extra flavor!

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe mango
• 70 ml fresh milk
• 300 grams glutinous rice flour
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 300 grams sugarcane molasses
• Water, as needed (less for sweeter taste)
• 30 grams ginger
• Chocolate for filling

Instructions:

• Peel and cut the mango, removing the seed. Prepare the flour and sugar. Peel and slice the ginger thinly, then julienne.
• Blend the mango with fresh milk until smooth. Add glutinous rice flour and knead until well combined. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
• Take about 20 grams of dough, flatten it, add chocolate in the center, fold the dough over, and shape into a ball, ensuring it is sealed well.
• Mix sugar, water, and ginger until dissolved. Boil for 5 minutes to make the sugar syrup.
• Boil water and cook the rice balls until they float. Remove and place them in the sugar syrup, boil again until the balls absorb the sweetness. Done!
• Enjoy the smooth mango-flavored dough with a surprise chocolate filling, complemented by the subtle taste of ginger.

Ingredients:

• 180 grams young tofu
• 250 ml corn syrup
• 1 cup mochiko flour
• Korean Glutinous Rice Balls (Gyoengdan):
• 1 cup mochiko flour
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 80 grams pre-cooked red bean paste
• A bit of roasted black sesame seeds
• Food coloring (yellow, pink, green, or use green tea powder, sweet potato, red dragon fruit powder to create vegetable colors and flavors)
  

Instructions:

• Mochiko flour is a specialty flour used to make mochi, which gives the rice balls a distinctive flavor and chewiness. If unavailable, you can use Vietnamese glutinous rice flour instead.
• Japanese rice balls: Blend tofu, corn syrup, and 15ml water in a blender until smooth. Divide the mixture into 3 separate portions in 3 bowls. Create one bowl of pink, one green, and leave one plain. Divide the mochiko flour equally into 3 parts, add flour to each bowl, knead until smooth. If the dough is too wet, you can add more mochiko flour. The dough should be moist but not runny. Shape into evenly sized balls about 3cm in diameter.
• Cook until done in boiling water. Remove and place the balls in a bowl of cold water with ice. Skewer them onto sticks. Each stick should have 3 to 4 balls of different colors alternating. Serve with brown sugar syrup and roasted soybean powder.
• Korean rice balls: Mix the mixture well, gradually adding 1/2 cup boiling water. If the dough is too wet, add a bit of all-purpose flour until you get a smooth, elastic, and resilient dough. Optionally, add coloring to the dough. I made one bowl green, one yellow, and one white. Wrap the red bean paste in yellow and green dough. Roll the white dough thin and use a cutter to shape it into flowers (pressing cookies).
• Cook the flowers and balls separately, then place them on top and decorate with roasted black sesame seeds. Good luck!

Ingredients:

• 2 servings
• 400 ml Chicken broth
• 100 g Glutinous rice flour
• 80 g Ground pork
• 3 pieces Shiitake mushrooms
• Several slices Carrot
• Green onions
• Cilantro
• Fried shallots
• Sesame oil

Instructions:

• Cook the chicken broth. I usually cook it beforehand, refrigerate it, and skim off the excess fat. Blanch the chicken bones to remove impurities. Simmer for at least 2 hours with water and optional vegetables (turnips, cabbage, radish, squash, onions, etc.)
• Soak dried shiitake mushrooms.
• Combine glutinous rice flour with warm water to form a smooth, elastic dough.
• Season the ground pork with spices, sesame oil, and green onions.
• Wrap the dough around the filling.
• Shape into evenly-sized balls.
• Boil the balls in boiling water until they float, then submerge again until they float again.
• Remove the cooked balls and transfer to a bowl of cold water.
• Place the balls and mushrooms, carrot in the broth, season again, bring to a boil. Ladle into bowls, garnish with cilantro, fried shallots. Serve hot.

Ingredients:

• 5 servings
• 250 grams glutinous rice flour
• 50 grams steamed and mashed white sweet potato
• 50 grams rice flour
• 200 grams peeled and steamed mung beans with a pinch of salt
• 4 pandan leaves
• 50 grams rock sugar or to taste
• 1 ginger piece (size of 2 fingers)
• 200 ml freshly squeezed coconut milk

Instructions:

• Blend and strain pandan leaves to extract juice. Reserve 1 leaf for the sugar syrup.
• Mash the warm mung beans, form them into bite-sized balls.
• Mix warm water with glutinous rice flour, rice flour, and mashed sweet potato to form a non-sticky dough. Then divide it into small portions and wrap them around the mung bean filling.
• Boil the rice balls in boiling water until they float, then transfer them to a bowl of cold water.
• Cook rock sugar syrup with ginger and pandan leaf.
• Add the rice balls to the boiling sugar syrup. Serve with toasted sesame seeds and freshly squeezed coconut milk.