| Sesame Balls | |
|---|---|
 ' | |
|
Traditional Chinese |
煎堆 |
|
Hanyu Pinyin |
jiān duī |
|
Cantonese Jyutping |
No information |
Jian dui is a type of fried Chinese pastry made from glutinous rice flour. The pastry is coated with sesame seeds on the outside and is crisp and chewy. Inside the pastry is a large hollow, caused by the expansion of the dough. The hollow of the pastry is filled with a filling usually consisting of lotus paste (蓮蓉), or alternatively sweet black bean paste (dousha, 豆沙), or less commonly red bean paste (hong dousha, 紅豆沙). Sometimes, they are cut in half with a pair scissors prior to serving.
Depending on the region and cultural area, jian dui are known as matuan (麻糰) in northern China, ma yuan (麻圆) in northeast China, and jen dai (珍袋) in Hainan. In American Chinese restaurants and pastry shops, they are known as Sesame Seed Balls.
In Hong Kong, it is one of the most standard pastries. It can also be found in most Chinatown bakery shops overseas.
Other names
- Sesame seed ball
- Jin deui
- Jen dai
- Zin dou
- Matuan
- Ma yuan