Glutinous Rice Balls
THE FILLING
First, make up a mixture of shredded coconut and brown sugar. About a cup of each, if you want to get technical. Melt those together over a low heat in a saucepan until you’ve got yourself some sugary, goopy goodness. Go ahead and eat a spoonful. You won’t regret it.
THE DOUGH (AND THE COOKING. AND, WELL, EVERYTHING ELSE)
Get yourself a bowl, a mixing paddle of some kind, and a bag of glutinous rice flour. We didn’t use any kind of measuring apparatus, just poured some flour into the bowl. Your yield will vary, of course, but you’ll be okay. Life will continue regardless of how many rice balls you produce. Stop worrying so much.
Pour in some water. There’s no measurement here either, you’re ultimately going for a consistency that’s like a soft dough – not sticky. Add table salt as you stir the mixture. About 1000 grains of salt should suffice, give or take. When you’ve got your putty-like dough ready, press it into flat discs. Spoon some of that sugary coconut goodness into the centre of each disc, then fold it up inside and roll it into a ball.
Gently submerge your balls in boiling water. They’re ready to eat when they float to the surface. What you may want to do – what is normally done – is roll your balls around in desiccated coconut.
