Free Web NovelChapter 1155: Chapter 467: Sweet Potato Balls Are Delicious, but Watch Out for Burned Mouths! Stuffed Carp with Hidden Depths! [Monthly Ticket Request]_2
A certain big kid isn’t regretful, leaves the kitchen, and picks up Dundun, who is playing with a little rabbit, and starts playing the piano.
Lin Xu brings over a small basin, adds low gluten flour and starch in a one-to-two ratio, adds a bit of water, then a little salt, a pinch of Sichuan peppercorns, and a spoonful of cooking oil.
Stir until it becomes a slightly thick, creamy texture, and the batter is prepared.
Earrings turn crispy when fried, so the starch should be more than the flour.
With the batter ready, set up the oil pot and pour in unused peanut oil, heat it on high.
For frying sweet potato balls, you have to use oil that hasn’t been used for frying anything else, otherwise, they’ll pick up unwanted flavors.
If you’re frying small fish or something, you can just use oil that’s been used before.
Soon, the oil temperature reaches halfway hot.
Like how Chen Meijuan fried glass noodles meatballs in the morning, when frying sweet potato balls, you need to prepare a bowl of clean water to prevent the sweet potato paste from sticking to your hands.
He dips his hand in a little water, grabs a handful with his left hand in the basin, making the somewhat solid sweet potato paste soft again, and then squeezes out a ping-pong ball-sized round.
His right hand catches it and drops it into the pot, then starts making the next one.
The squeezing process is very quick; soon enough, the bottom of the pot is full of sweet potato balls.
When you first put them in, the balls will sink to the bottom of the oil pot, and you’ll need to use a spatula or spoon to gently push the bottom after they form.
Be mindful when pushing—just slowly push along the bottom, without using too much force, or you’ll crush the balls into bits. Then you’d have a pot of sweet potato scraps and get teased by mom.
"Not bad, son; you even know to give them a push. That’s way better than my first attempt at frying sweet potato balls."
Lin Xu said with a smile:
"It’s thanks to mom’s good genes."
For frying sweet potato balls, the heat shouldn’t be too high, or these starchy little spheres can easily burn; but the oil temperature shouldn’t be too low either, or else the balls will break apart.
Generally, maintaining a halfway hot temperature will do. When the balls start floating up, raise the temperature to use the high heat to expel excess oil from the balls.
Once that’s done, they can be removed from the pot.
Sweet potato balls are quite simple; they don’t need seasoning, not even sugar.
Steam or boil the sweet potato until cooked through, add some water starch, and start frying. Once they’re floating and feel light when stirred with a spoon, they’re ready to be served.
Soon, the first batch of sweet potato balls is fried.
Freshly fried sweet potato balls appear golden yellow, emitting the unique sweet fragrance of sweet potatoes.
Lin Xu serves them into a deeper platter, ready to be eaten as snacks; of course, if they are cooled and served in a bowl, topped with sugar and steamed, that will make them even tastier.
During childhood new year’s celebrations, breakfast usually included a large bowl of steamed glass noodles meatballs and a large bowl of sweet potato balls soaked in syrup. Both types of balls were steamed to be deliciously fragrant and soft, making them exceptionally satisfying.
"Are they ready?"
The fragrance distracts Shen Jiayue from playing the piano, and she runs into the kitchen like a big flower butterfly.
Lin Xu takes out the last ball and places the platter on the workbench:
"You can eat now, but be careful, they’re hotter than roasted sweet potatoes. Don’t burn your mouth because of greed."
"Who’s greedy? I’m here to help you test the flavor... Smells so good."
Shen Jiayue picks up a pair of chopsticks, grabs a sweet potato ball, blows it gently, and takes a small bite. Even with mental preparation, she is still scalded a little.
Despite the burn, she is captivated by the sweet aroma and taste.
The sweet potato ball is crispy on the outside, carrying the smell typical of fried desserts, while inside the sweet potato paste has turned semi-liquid.
Although no sugar was added to the filling, the sweetness is quite rich.
"Whew... It’s so delicious, super yummy! Much better than those purple yam balls sold at fast food places."
While purple yam balls are good, they need real ingredients.
No matter how you improve the process, frozen semi-finished products cannot achieve the taste and texture of freshly made dishes.
Seeing her daughter-in-law enjoy eating, Chen Meijuan says:
"They’ll be tastier when steamed tomorrow morning. I’ll steam more by then."
To avoid affecting the kitchen’s dinner preparations, Shen Jiayue takes the platter outside.
She is about to sit on the sofa to enjoy the treat when the doorbell rings.
Upon answering the door, she sees the army of dinner guests has arrived.
It’s Chen Yan, Zeng Xiaoqi, Geng Lele, and Chen Yuanyuan, who switched shifts today to come along. Behind them are Shen Guofu and Han Shuzhen, who drove together.
Way, they’ve come as a group.
She opens the building’s security door, and soon, the group chatters their way inside the house.
As soon as everyone changes their shoes, they catch the distinctive aroma of the sweet potato balls:
"Wow, sweet potato balls are being fried?"
"That’s my favorite, I’ll definitely eat more later."
"I said there’d be good food when Aunt Chen comes home, and I was right!"
"Third Aunt, why didn’t you tell me you were frying sweet potato balls? If I had known, I wouldn’t have eaten those sausages this afternoon, saving space for this!"
After changing into slippers, everyone washes their hands and excitedly gathers in the living room to start tasting.
Each person who tries the sweet potato balls is drawn in by their crispy exterior and soft, sweet interior.
Even Han Shuzhen, who typically avoids sweet snacks, can’t resist pinching a couple to try:
"Meijuan, did you make these?"
"It was Lin Xu who made them; now I’m just a helper at home, not qualified to be head chef anymore."
