Golden Sesame Roll Ups Recipes

SESAME BALLS

Steps:

• Choose your filling-You can buy ready-made filling pastes at the Asian or Chinese grocery store, or use our lotus paste or red bean paste recipes. We used lotus paste.
• Make sesame ball dough. Place 1/2 cup (60g) glutinous rice flour and sugar in a bowl. Pour ¼ cup (60g) of boiling water into the flour and sugar. Mix with a rubber spatula until smooth. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon (70g) room temperature water and the rest of the glutinous flour (1 cup, 120g). Mix with a spatula until it forms a dough, and all the flour has been incorporated. Cover with an overturned plate or put it in a reusable silicone bag. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
• Prepare your sesame seeds by pouring them in a fine-meshed strainer and rinsing them until they're completely soaked. Let the excess water drain and place the sesame seeds on a plate. Spread them out evenly with enough space for rolling the sesame balls. You can use a paper towel if the sesame seeds are very wet. They should be moist, but not dripping wet.
• Your filling should be half the weight of your dough ball. Use your kitchen scale to measure out 8 pieces of lotus or red bean paste that weigh 24g each. Roll them into balls and set aside.
• Weigh the dough ball on a digital kitchen scale - it should weigh about 370 to 380 grams. Whatever your weight is, divide it by 8 to get the weight for each dough ball (in our case, we got 47g). Using the kitchen scale, separate the dough into 8 equal pieces, and roll them into balls. Set them aside on a plate, and cover them so they don't dry out.
• To assemble, flatten the dough ball until it is 3 inches in diameter - the middle should be slightly thicker. Place 1 ball of filling in the center of the dough, wrapping the dough around the ball. Pinch the dough together so it covers all the filling, making the thickness of the dough as even as possible. You can pinch excess dough from the point where the sesame ball is sealed to fill empty spots or reinforce areas that look thin.
• After the filling is completely covered, gently press it all together to form a ball, rolling it between the palms of your hands until the seams disappear, and you form a uniform round ball.
• Roll the ball in the moistened sesame seeds until the entire ball is thoroughly covered. Roll the ball again in your hands to press the sesame seeds into the dough and place on parchment paper until they are ready to deep-fry.
• Heat 4 cups of peanut or canola oil in a medium deep pot to a stable 320°F/160°C. (Use a thermometer for accuracy, as achieving the right oil temperature is extremely important.) The oil should fill the pot about halfway.
• Add 4 sesame balls into the oil, and immediately use a slotted spoon to gently move them in a circular motion so they do not stick to the pot. This is a necessary step throughout the entire process to ensure even frying. Don't leave them unattended. Adding the sesame balls will lower the oil temperature down below 300°F/150°C, but shouldn't take it below 290°F/143°C. Adjust the heat slightly higher or lower to maintain the oil temperature at 300°F/150°C.
• After 10 minutes, your sesame balls will begin to float to the top of the oil. Now, your technique changes to keep them rolling in the oil so all sides get the same frying time. You can also occasionally press all four sesame balls down using a slotted spoon or small spider to keep them submerged in the oil. Do this for 2-3 minutes.
• At this stage, increase the heat to bring the oil temperature gradually up to 350°F. Fry them for another 5 minutes, for a total of 17-18 minutes, or until they turn a light golden brown. This last stage of frying at a higher temperature browns them. The sesame balls will expand and grow slightly at this higher oil temperature. The outer crust is now strong enough such that they should not burst, as long as you don't have any weak or thin spots in the dough.
• Transfer the finished sesame balls to a strainer, cooling rack or plate lined with paper towels for the oil to drain. Repeat with the second batch. Cool for 10 minutes and serve.

GOLDEN SESAME BALLS

Steps:

• Combine sugar and shortening in a bowl to make a paste. Add rice flour, baking powder, and ice water and mix everything into a dough ball. Wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Remove dough from fridge and separate into 6 equal portions. Roll into balls and flatten the balls into thin disks. Portion lotus paste into 6 equal parts and roll into small balls. Set a lotus paste ball in the center of the flattened dough disks and wrap dough around the lotus paste. Roll between the palms of your hands until all the seams are gone and no lotus paste is showing.
• Pour sesame seeds onto a saucer and roll finished balls in the sesame seeds. Roll balls between your palms one more time to make sure sesame seeds stick.
• Pour oil into a pot and heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Drop balls into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the hot oil with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb the excess oil
• Serve - be careful! The lotus paste inside the balls will be very hot.

BBQ SHRIMP ROLL-UPS

Steps:

• Combine the peppers, celery, onion, parsley, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Let sit for 30 minutes to marinate and soften.
• Whisk together the chili sauce, Worcestershire, the remaining lemon juice, hot sauce, oregano, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder in a small bowl; set aside.
• Pat the shrimp dry on a plate, and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the shrimp. Cook until they turn pink on the bottom, about 2 minutes, then flip and cook until they are totally pink and start to curl, about 2 minutes more; transfer the shrimp to a clean plate. Add the chili-sauce mixture to the skillet, and simmer until it is reduced and thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat to cool.
• Roughly chop the shrimp, add to the cooled sauce and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Put a slice of bread between 2 pieces of plastic wrap, and roll with a rolling pin to flatten. Spread a heaping teaspoon of mayonnaise over the bread. Arrange 2 tablespoons of the BBQ shrimp in a neat row along the bottom edge of the bread. Top with some of the vegetable mixture. Use the plastic wrap to help roll the bread up into a tight cylinder. Wrap it tightly in a fresh piece of plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 8 roll-ups total.
• When you're ready to serve, unwrap the roll-ups, cut each into 4 pieces.

CRANBERRY AND DATE ROLL UPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cream butter and cream cheese together. Blend in the flour and the salt, to taste. Chill for several hours until firm enough to roll out. Roll mixture to 1/4-inch thick on a cutting board generously sprinkled with confectioners' sugar. Cut dough into 1 by 3-inch pieces with a pastry wheel. Put dates and/or cranberries on the bottom of each strip and roll up. Place fold side down on a sheet tray.
• Place in oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar to serve.

PANCAKE ROLL-UPS

Steps:

• Cook sausages as directed on package. Cover to keep warm.
• Meanwhile, make pancakes as directed on box, using 2 cups pancake mix and 1 1/2 cups water.
• Wrap each pancake around a sausage; place seam side down on serving platter. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with maple syrup.

BACON ROLL-UPS

Steps:

• Slice bacon in half to form twenty strips. In a small bowl combine softened cream cheese with sliced scallions and pepper. Remove crusts from bread. Line up 4 slices of bacon, slightly overlapping to form a square. Using a rolling pin, flatten the bread. Place the bread slice on top of the bacon. Spread the bread with the cream cheese mixture. Roll up bread and bacon as you would a rug. Secure with 4-5 toothpicks about an inch apart. Assemble remaining roll ups and place on baking sheet. Freeze until firm. Slice rollups into 4-5 pieces each secured with toothpick. Either refrigerate or freeze until ready for use. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place roll-ups on broiler pan so that fat collects in bottom pan. Bake until crisp, about 20-30 minutes.