FAQ (Questions and Answers)

• What are the other names for Jian dui?

  Depending on the region and cultural area, jian dui are known as matuan (麻糰) in Northern and Northwestern China, mayuan (麻圆) in Northeastern China, and zhendai (珍袋) in Hainan.
  
  In Japan, they are known as goma dango (ごま団子, sesame dumplings).
  
  In Korea, they are called twigin chamkkaegyeongdan (튀긴 참깨경단, “fried sesame rice ball cake”) or ungguksik chamkkae-gyeongdan (중국식 참깨경단, “Chinese-style sesame rice ball cake”) to avoid confusion with the Korean-style sesame rice ball cake (chamkkae-gyeongdan) with sesame coating.
  
  Unlike the Chinese version where dough is first coated with sesame seeds and then fried, the Korean gyeongdan is first boiled and then coated with toasted sesame seeds.
  
  In Tamil Nadu and northeastern Sri Lanka, they are known as ellu urundai or ellurundai (எள்ளுருண்டை), the local word meaning sesame ball.
  In Sinhalese, mainly used in Sri Lanka, they are called Thuri Guli (තල ගුලි), which translates as sesame ball.
  
  Made in various sizes and colors.
  Usually filled with sesame seeds, jaggery, sugar, or glucose syrup.
  In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, a similar dessert made with jaggery and sesame seeds is known as chimmili (చిమ్మిలి) or nuvvula undalu (నువ్వుల ఉండలు; lit. “sesame spheres”).
  
  In Cambodia, they are called num kroch or nom kroch (Khmer: នំក្រូច, lit. ”orange cake” for its fruit-like shape) in Khmer and were introduced to Cambodia by Chinese migrants.
  
  In Indonesian cuisine, they are called onde-onde or kue moci, filled with sweetened mung bean paste.
  
  In Malaysia, they are known as kuih bom, usually filled with grated sweetened coconut or nuts. Occasionally, they may be filled with red bean paste.
  Among the predominantly Hakka Chinese in the state of Sabah, jian dui is more commonly known as you chi.
  
  In the Philippines, jian dui is called butsi. Due to hundreds of years of Chinese settlement in the Philippines, the integration of Chinese cuisine (particularly Cantonese and Fujian) with local dishes has made butsi quite popular.
  
  Unlike jian dui, the Filipino butsi and its derivatives (such as mache, masi, moche, and palitaw) can also be boiled or steamed, in addition to being fried.
  
  
  In Vietnamese cuisine, there are two very similar dishes called bánh cam (from Southern Vietnam) and bánh rán (from Northern Vietnam), both have a slightly drier filling made from sweetened mung bean paste.
  
  Sweet banh ran is filled with mung beans.
  Salty banh ran is filled with minced meat, cassava vermicelli, mushrooms, and a variety of other typically Vietnamese ingredients.
  
  In Mauritius, jian dui is called jien-yan-e by the local Chinese community in Mauritius, but it is more commonly known as gato zinzli in Creole.
  Literally translated as “sesame cake.” It is one of the Mauritian snacks influenced by the presence of Sino-Mauritians on the island.
  
  Gato zinzli originates from China and was introduced to Mauritius by Chinese migrants from Guangzhou and Guangdong in the 18th or 19th century.
  
  It is fried until slightly chewy and crispy on the outside before being coated with sesame seeds; it is made with sweet potatoes, glutinous rice, and sometimes with red bean paste.
  Consumed especially during Chinese New Year as a traditional snack by Sino-Mauritians.
  
  
  

• How is sweet red bean or black bean paste made?

  To prepare Dou sha, the bean paste, the beans are usually boiled without sugar, mashed, and diluted into a liquid paste.
  The slurry is then strained through a sieve to remove the skins.
  The obtained liquid is then filtered and squeezed with a gauze, before finally being sweetened.
  
  Relatively dry paste is usually added with oil in the form of vegetable oil or lard to improve its texture.
  
  The one with oil is mainly found as a filling for Chinese pastries.
  Japanese pastries mainly use unoiled sweet bean pastes, as in dorayaki.
  
  Oily bean paste (油豆沙) – made from azuki beans; dark brown or black color resulting from the addition of sugar and animal fat or vegetable oil and further cooking; sometimes also includes the flavor of Sweet Osmanthus.
  
  Mung beans (綠豆沙) – made from mung beans and dull reddish-purple color
  
  Red bean (紅豆沙) – made from azuki beans and dark red color
  
  White bean (白豆沙) – made from dark blue beans and photo of grayish off-white color
  
  Black bean potato paste (黑豆沙) – made from black soybean seed powder (黑豆面) and potatoes, used in Beijing cuisine and other cuisines in northern China.
  
  If you don’t want to buy ready-made bean paste, you can use this recipe.

• And how is lotus paste made?

  The process for making lotus paste (lián róngè) is similar to that used for making red bean paste.
  
  Dried lotus seeds are stewed in water until soft and then mashed into a fine paste.
  
  A thin batter is made from the paste, passed through a sieve, and then through gauze.
  
  This yields a fine, crumbly paste, which is then mixed with sugar or other sweeteners, and often oil, to produce a smooth, sweet paste.