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Sweet Potato Balls - crispy deep fried sweet potato dough balls coated with sesame seeds. This Malaysian snack is great for afternoon tea.
Sweet Potato Balls Recipe
Sweet potato ball is an amazing snack available in Malaysia, in the morning or afternoon market. They are commonly sold by street vendors.
Called “番薯旦” in Chinese, they are made with sweet potatoes, flour and sugar.
They are usually coated with sesame seeds and deep-fried. You can find similar versions in Indonesia and Thailand.
These taste of home sweet treats were my favorite childhood food, ones that I grew up eating. They are great as munchies for breakfast or afternoon tea.
Making them at home brings back lots of sweet childhood memories to me!
Making these sweet dough balls are very easy. First, boil the sweet potatoes until the inside is cooked through.
Next, peel off the skin and keep the sweet potatoes. Mash and combine well with flour, sugar and water to form a dough.
Roll the dough into balls and coat them with sesame seeds. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
Frequently Asked Questions
As a general rule of thumb, you should use the sweet potatoes with pale yellow color flesh inside.
This type of potatoes make the best sweet potato balls. Avoid using orange or purple color sweet potatoes.
Absolutely. Use air fryer to make healthy sweet potato balls that are not deep-fried.
Just follow the method in the recipe card and fry in an air fryer. However, you can’t oven baked.
This recipe is only 264 calories per serving.
What To Serve with This Recipe
Serve them as appetizers or snacks, with other Malaysian sweet or savory treats.
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Sweet Potato Balls
Ingredients
- 1 lb (500g) sweet potatoes
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 – 2 tablespoons water
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons white sesame seeds
- oil, for deep frying
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Boil the sweet potatoes in hot boiling water for 15 minutes, or until the inside is cooked through. Peel the skin off and discard. Smash the sweet potatoes.
- Add the mashed sweet potatoes with flour, sugar, and water to form a dough that is not sticky to the hands.
- Divide the dough into small, equal portions and roll them into balls. Roll the sweet potato balls with sesame seeds.
- Heat up a shallow pot with 2-3 inches (5cm-7cm) oil. When the oil is fully heated, deep fry the sweet potato balls until golden brown. Dish out and drain well on paper towels. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks so interesting, but I cannot find the recipe card!!!!!
Hi Maria, thanks for letting me know. The recipe card was accidentally deleted. I have added it back!
Where can I see recipe card? I don’t see on the page :(
Hi Shar, thanks for letting me know. The recipe card was accidentally deleted. I have added it back!
“See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.”
I can’t locate said recipe card; help!
Hi DZ, thanks for letting me know. The recipe card was accidentally deleted. I have added it back!
Can these be made ahead and frozen? Thanks!
Yes.
Can I air fry the sweet potato balls instead of frying them?
You can try.