From Turning Red · 2022 · Reconstructed
Sesame Balls (Jian Dui)
Serve when
Serve them warm, when the outside is crackly-crisp and the inside is molten and chewy — the sweet, sesame-crusted treat that reads instantly of a Chinatown bakery.
In the movie
Theatrical
- Sweet red-bean treats are part of the film's affectionate portrait of Chinese-Canadian food culture — the bakery-case sweets of Mei's world, drawn from the real dishes of Toronto's Chinatown.
Turning Red is generous with the everyday sweets of Mei's neighbourhood, and jian dui are exactly the kind of bakery-case treat that grounds the film in a real place. Crackly, chewy, and sesame-fragrant, they're the taste of a Chinatown afternoon — comfort food with a very specific address.
Ingredients
Method
- Mix the glutinous rice flour, sugar, and warm water into a soft, smooth dough.
- Pinch off a piece, flatten it, spoon in a little red bean paste, and pinch it closed into a smooth ball.
- Roll each ball in water, then in sesame seeds so they stick all over.
- Fry gently in 325°F oil, pressing lightly against the side of the pot so they expand, until puffed, hollow, and deep golden, 10–12 minutes — too hot and they brown before they've grown.
- Drain and eat warm — crisp shell, chewy pull, sweet centre.