Sweet Potato Balls is a popular snack in Malaysia, Taiwan and across Asia. It made with sweet potato and tapioca flour, rolled into balls and deep-fried until golden brown. It’s wrapped with a crunchy outer layer, soft and chewy on the inside.
Type of Sweet Potatoes
There are many types of sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes used in this recipes are orange sweet potato with orange skin, and purple sweet purple with purple skin. Other types of sweet potatoes can be used, they will work as well. The colour of the balls will depend on the colour of the sweet potato used.
So, if you use a less sweet sweet potato, you may increase the sugar.
Tips for Frying
You need to know a few tricks to make the best tasting sweet potato balls.
First, start frying the balls with low heat. Frying at a high temperature at beginning may stop them from growing into doubles in size and brown too soon leaving the insides uncooked.
The other tips is pressing the balls down while frying. Only start pressing after the balls slightly fried on the outer layer. It needs to be pressed for at least 3 rounds. This will allow the balls to expand doubled in size.
Sweet Potato Balls
Food stalls favourite, sweet potato balls. They're made with sweet potato and tapioca starch, rolled into balls and deep-fried until golden brown. It’s wrapped with a crunchy outer layer, soft and chewy on the inside.
Place the purple sweet potato (sliced 1.5 cm thick) into Varoma dish, and orange sweet potato (sliced 1.5 cm thick) into Varoma tray.
Place water into Thermomix mixing bowl. Place Varoma dish and tray into position. Secure Varoma lid and steam 30 min | Varoma | speed 2.
Remove Varoma and allow sweet potato to drain for awhile. Meanwhile, discard the steaming water.
Place the steamed orange potato into mixing bowl, add 25g sugar and mix for 10 sec | Speed 6.
Scrap down the side. Add tapioca flour mix for 20 sec | Speed 5.
Remove the orange dough and cover with cling film, reserve for later use.
Without cleaning the mixing bowl. Place the steamed purple potato into mixing bowl, add 25g sugar and mix for 10 sec | Speed 6.
Scrap down the side. Add tapioca flour mix for 20 sec | Speed 5.
Remove the dough from mixing bowl. Roll out the dough and cut it into small bite-sized pieces. Roll the pieces into a ball (15g each). Repeat the same with the reserved orange dough.
Heat oil in a wok over low heat. Once the oil is heated (140°C) add the sweet potato balls. Fry them for about 2 minutes before increasing the heat to medium. Once the balls float, use a spatula to press each ball against the bottom of the wok for 2-3 seconds. Move the balls around with spatula, and repeat pressing for a few round. Once the balls is doubled in size and golden brown, remove from the oil and drain on a metal strainer. Repeat until all sweet potato balls are cooked.
Ingredients
Directions
Place the purple sweet potato (sliced 1.5 cm thick) into Varoma dish, and orange sweet potato (sliced 1.5 cm thick) into Varoma tray.
Place water into Thermomix mixing bowl. Place Varoma dish and tray into position. Secure Varoma lid and steam 30 min | Varoma | speed 2.
Remove Varoma and allow sweet potato to drain for awhile. Meanwhile, discard the steaming water.
Place the steamed orange potato into mixing bowl, add 25g sugar and mix for 10 sec | Speed 6.
Scrap down the side. Add tapioca flour mix for 20 sec | Speed 5.
Remove the orange dough and cover with cling film, reserve for later use.
Without cleaning the mixing bowl. Place the steamed purple potato into mixing bowl, add 25g sugar and mix for 10 sec | Speed 6.
Scrap down the side. Add tapioca flour mix for 20 sec | Speed 5.
Remove the dough from mixing bowl. Roll out the dough and cut it into small bite-sized pieces. Roll the pieces into a ball (15g each). Repeat the same with the reserved orange dough.
Heat oil in a wok over low heat. Once the oil is heated (140°C) add the sweet potato balls. Fry them for about 2 minutes before increasing the heat to medium. Once the balls float, use a spatula to press each ball against the bottom of the wok for 2-3 seconds. Move the balls around with spatula, and repeat pressing for a few round. Once the balls is doubled in size and golden brown, remove from the oil and drain on a metal strainer. Repeat until all sweet potato balls are cooked.
