Be transported to Taiwan this Chinese New Year (CNY) with our Taiwan Sweet Potato Ball with Nian Gao recipe QQ年糕地瓜球 by home baker Judy Ng (IG @JudyBakez). This unique CNY dish takes a spin on the classic fried nian gao and it's definitely worth trying! Made with Japanese Sweet Potato, its yellow flesh produces a beautiful golden colour when fried, giving you a bowl full of “gold” balls - probably the best way to depict 财源滚滚 this lunar new year!
Each ball has an irresistibly crispy shell that goes so well with the sweet melty nian gao centre. All cravings for Taiwanese foods and nian gao will be satisfied with this snack as once you pop, you can’t stop!
Our Taiwan Sweet Potato Ball with Nian Gao recipe can be summarised in just three steps: preparing the dough, wrapping the nian gao, and deep fry. And yes, it is as easy as it sounds. To complete this dish quicker, jio or call some of your family or friends over to bond while cooking!
Otherwise, here are some easy deep-frying tips from us that we use to make the sweet potato balls light and crispy for hours:
- Use a good quality oil with high smoke point like KNIFE 100% Groundnut Oil. It is our trusted oil for deep frying as it gives a bright golden finish, does not burn easily, and enhances each dish with a mild savoury peanut flavour. It is also trans fat free, has no cholesterol, contains Vitamin E and Omega 6!
- Fry the dough at medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes before stirring. The stirring motion is to prevent burnt spots.
- Once they have expanded, squeeze the balls gently with a metal sieve. This motion encourages the balls to expand further, forming a thin crust with a hollow centre.
Making 20 Taiwan Sweet Potato Balls with Nian Gao costs approximately $11.10 as of December 2022. The usual price for 10 Sweet Potato Balls at Pasar Malam or night markets is typically around $5, but without the yummy nian gao filling. Our recipe may sound a little pricier due to the premium ingredients we have chosen to use in this recipe. Double up this recipe to make 40 Sweet Potato Balls or reuse the oil for other dishes to make this dish more cost-effective! We believe that quality goes a long way in cooking and makes your dishes look and taste better for CNY!
| Knife 100% Groundnut Oil, 1L | $6.90 |
| Japanese Sweet Potato 100g | $1.20 |
| Tapioca flour, sugar, nian gao | $3.00 |
Try this recipe and let us know if you love it as much as we do！
- KNIFE 100 percent Groundnut Oil
- 100 g sweet potato peeled and cut into 2cm by 2cm cubes
- 33 g tapioca flour
- 25 g sugar
- 1-2 tbsp water if required
- 30 g Nian gao cut into 1cm by 1cm cube
- Steam the sweet potato cubes for 12 mins or until it is fork tender.
- While it is still hot, mash the sweet potato into a paste with a fork. Quickly add the sugar and tapioca flour and mix until a soft dough forms. If the dough is too dry, add 1 tbsp of water gradually and knead the dough till it reaches the consistency of a playdough.
- Pinch off a piece of dough, around 8g.
- Roll it into a small ball, flatten it, and place a nian gao cube on the dough. Wrap the dough around it and roll into a round shape. Set aside.
- In a wok, pour in KNIFE Groundnut Oil till it fills about ⅓ of the wok. Heat it up on medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add in the balls and let it fry for 1 – 2 minutes. Use medium-low heat to avoid burning.
- With the metal sieve, stir the balls and press them flat gently. The balls will expand and form a crispy crust with a hollow centre.
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