Only a few simple ingredients used in these gluten free Sweet Potato Balls deep fried to golden perfection. They make a tasty tea time or snack time treat.
It must be at least 2 decades ago since I last ate Sweet Potato Balls. I knew of only one place where it can be found and I have not been there in a long, long time. Sold by a vendor at a corner of Petaling Street, Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown, these golden orbs were such a treat. He was constantly frying a whole wok of them in hot oil. They were so delicious fresh out of the wok.
Petaling Street, Kuala Lumpur
I remember going to Petaling Street with mom for Chinese New Year shopping. We would set out after the morning rush hour to take the mini bus downtown. Mom would not drive because parking was a problem. It was always hot and humid with throngs of people. Shoppers would be haggling over the prices of everything from clothes to groceries. Others were just milling around and eating as they went along. Thankfully, there were no shortage of street vendors and restaurants to keep everyone full and contented.
Street Food
One could snack on bak kwa (Chinese pork jerky), coffee roasted chestnuts, boiled peanuts, fried popiah (spring rolls), rojak (Malaysian spicy fruit salad), and of course these golden and delicious Sweet Potato Balls. Freshly squeezed sugar cane juice with ice and cold sweet longan drink quenched the thirst. For lunch, a bowl of Wonton Noodles at the renown Koon Kee restaurant was a must. Their springy wonton noodles were considered the best. They also served delicious Sui Kow (Chinese Dumplings) with mustard, a sauce seldom offered, if ever, by other restaurants. Ahh, those were good memories!
A Slightly Chewy Version of Sweet Potato Balls
Now, back to our Sweet Potato Balls recipe. I used glutinous rice flour to give them a slightly chewy bite together with white rice flour to keep them gluten free. Swap out the glutinous rice flour with tapioca starch for a softer version. Always remember to deep fry these in medium low heat as they burn easily. It takes about 3 to 4 minutes for 1 inch diameter balls. They will float in the hot oil when cooked. Do give it a try.
Similar Tools Used in Making These Sweet Potato Balls
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Staub Serving Bowl, White, 3.4 qt.
Calphalon Contemporary Hard-Anodized Saucepan with Steamer Insert, 4 1/2-quart
Best Manufacturers Waffle Head Potato Masher
Winco UT-9 Coiled Spring Heavyweight Stainless Steel Utility Tong, 9-Inch
For more tools and products used in my kitchen, please check out Roti n Rice’s Amazon Page.
Sweet Potato Balls
Ingredients
- 1 lb sweet potatoes (450g)
- ½ cup glutinous rice flour (60g)
- ¾ to 1 cup white rice flour (98g to 130g)
- ¼ cup sugar (55g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Place in a steamer and steam for 10 minutes until soft. Transfer to a large bowl and mash with a potato masher.
- Add glutinous rice flour, white rice flour, granulated sugar, and baking powder to the mashed sweet potatoes. Mix with a spatula until a soft dough forms. If dough is still a little wet, mix in some additional white rice flour. Dough should be soft but not sticky.
- Pinch a little dough from the bowl and roll between palms to form a 1-inch diameter ball. Repeat until all dough is used up.
- Fill a medium sized saucepan with 1 inch vegetable oil over medium low heat. Gently drop a few sweet potato balls into the hot oil. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown. Sweet potato balls should float when cooked. Remove with tongs and drain on a metal strainer. Repeat until all sweet potato balls are cooked.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
Torviewtoronto says
yummy these look delicious
Linda says
Thank you! 🙂
Ramona W says
What a fun treat. I would love to try these. 🙂
Linda says
Fun to eat too! 🙂
Shu says
That looks so delicious! My friend just pointed it out to me, calling it a deep fried sweet potato mochi :p
Linda says
These are easier to make than mochi. 🙂
Amy says
You are ex-KL girl. When I was small, my mother will bring me to Petaling Street and we wont miss buying the fried sweet potatoes. When grown up, will go there with friends. Well, those were the days. Your fried sweet potatoes looks yummy
Linda says
Aren’t those sweet potato balls fresh out of the wok just the best? I would be disappointed if the vendor for some reason ran out or are not there that day. Ahh..that was a long time ago! Not sure why it took me so long to make these. 😉
Geok says
This is a great recipe for sweet potato balls …they keep their shape even when cool and the taste is really good!
Thanks Linda….this recipe can be passed on so my grandchildren can enjoy this traditional snack!
Linda says
Thanks Geok! I am glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe and will pass it down. That means a lot to me. 🙂
Michelle says
I cannot wait to give this a try! 2 questions, do I have to use glutinous rice flour and regular rice flour? can I just choose one of the two? and is there anyway that I can bake them? 🙂
Linda says
Yes, you can use just rice flour. I would not use just glutinous rice flour or they would be too chewy. I have not tried baking them but you can certainly give it a try. You will have to experiment with the temp and duration.
Raven says
Hi! I really want to try these but tapioca starch is hard to come by in my country and so is glutinous rice flour. Would cornstarch work? Thanks!
Linda says
Yes, you can use corn starch instead of tapioca starch and all-purpose flour instead of rice flour. The texture will be slightly different – softer and not as chewy but still delicious. 🙂
Mchlle says
Hi,
I noticed in the comments that you said it’s okay to use all purpose flour and cornflour/ starch. How much all purpose flour would you recommend to replace both the rice flour? Also in your recipe, there is no tapioca flour mentioned.. If needed, how much is required?
Thank you
Linda says
Please use 3/4 cup all-purpose flour in place of the rice four. I used 1/2 cup glutinous rice flour (no tapioca starch) in this recipe but it can be replaced with 1/2 cup tapioca starch for a softer version.
Abby says
Instead of the rice flours, could you use almond flour?
Linda says
I have not tried using almond flour but you can certainly give it a try.
Esther says
Thank you Linda for this amazing recipe. My grandmother used to cook this when I was a little girl and this brings back a lot of great memories. I have made this today and it turned out amazing. Thank you!
Linda says
You are welcome, Esther! It warms my heart to know that it brought back good memories for you. 🙂
Judy says
Are those a snack? A dessert? They look so cool, I wonder if they could be a side dish to something….
Linda says
These sweet potato balls are a dessert. They are great for afternoon tea. 🙂
Mindy says
Can’t wait to try this recipe, looks great! Perhaps I can bring this to potluck Christmas party!!
Linda says
These sweet potato balls are great for a potluck parties. They will go fast. 🙂
Kari says
These look delicious! I can’t wait to try them. Is it ok to refrigerate the dough for a few hours before frying them?
Linda says
I think refrigerating the dough for a short time will be just fine. I have not done it but I don’t see why not.
Jud says
Omg I just made these today and they taste soooo good! My whole family enjoyed this as afternoon snack! Thanks very much for sharing this awesome recipe!
Linda says
You are welcome. Very glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
Chloe says
Hi Linda. Looks so good. Is the 450 GM’s of sweet potato with or without skin. ? Also which type of sweet potato is ideal? Like the orange or yellow flesh ones? Thanks for sharing. Hope to make some this weekend. Chloe
Linda says
It is 450g with the skin. I used orange sweet potatoes since it is the only kind I can get at the regular grocery stores. In Malaysia, yellow sweet potatoes are the norm. So, you can use either kind. 🙂
Ng says
This is one of my favourites and certainly will buy whenever i am in petaling street. Had tried other receipe which was using rice flour and wheat flour but the texture was quite soft and not to my liking. Will try out your recipe one day.
Linda says
This recipe definitely yields a chewer texture. Give it a try. 🙂
Cherlyn says
Hi, I tried making these sweet potatoes but mine didn’t end up having a chewy texture in the middle. What could it went wrong?
Linda says
I used two kinds of flour. One is regular rice flour and the other is glutinous rice flour. The latter is the one that gives the chewy texture.
Cherlyn says
I used both types of flour too. My mixture wasn’t sticky too.. isit cause I use too little potato or?
Thanks!
Connie Siow says
I made this today and my family enjoyed it. They requested me to make more in the next batch! Thanks for the recipe =D
Linda says
That’s wonderful! Very glad to hear your family enjoyed the treat. 🙂
Helen says
Hi can you freeze the balls before cooking. I would like to make about 60 for our next happy hour.
Linda says
I have never tried freezing them before frying but I don’t see why not. You can certainly give it a try.
Amanda says
Hi, what will happen if I bake them instead of fry them? Is there a healthier alternative
Linda says
Unfortunately, they don’t taste as good when baked. You can see and read about it here –> Baked Sweet Potato Balls.
Sharifah says
My daughter told me about this delicious sweet potato balls. I quickly searched the recipe and I found yours. It was amazing, all her friends loved it too. Thank you for sharing ❤️
Linda says
I am glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for your positive feedback.
Tina says
Hi Linda! What a great recipe here! Can’t wait to try it! Can i ask for 10 servings, how many balls all of them? Is it 10? Thank you.
Linda says
This recipe makes 30 balls. 3 balls per person. 🙂
Caroline says
I had extra baked sweet potatoes to use up and came across this interesting recipe. My dough was a little wet but using a small cookie scoop I managed to make the round(ish) balls. Fried up, these balls are crunchy on the outside, a little chewy inside and mildly sweet in taste. Husband and I had a whole batch for a snack. Plan to make more for Chinese New Year which is coming up soon.
Linda says
Using a small cookie scoop is a great idea. Glad you and your hubby enjoyed the recipe.