Ingredients

• 20g/¾oz palm sugar
• grated
• 225ml/8fl oz just boiled water or coconut water
• 300g/10½oz glutinous rice flour
• 100g/3½oz sesame seeds
• vegetable oil
• for deep-frying
• 40g/1½oz cocoa powder
• 40g/1½oz desiccated coconut
• toasted
• 50g/1¾oz sesame seeds
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 85g/3oz palm sugar
• grated
• 4–5 tbsp coconut milk

Directions

• For the balls
• put the palm sugar and 200ml/7fl oz of just boiled water or coconut water in a bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and gradually stir in the sweetened water until it comes together to form a dough (you may not need all the water). Knead briefly until the dough is smooth and pliable. Keep the dough covered with a damp tea towel to prevent it from drying out.
• For the filling
• place the cocoa
• coconut
• sesame seeds
• oil and sugar in a bowl. Gradually pour in the coconut milk
• mixing all the time
• until you have a thick paste.
• Take a small piece of the dough (approximately the size of a golf ball) and use your hands to flatten it into a disc that's approximately 10cm/4in wide. Place a teaspoon of filling in the centre and wrap the dough around to encase the filling. Roll the filled dough in your hands to form a smooth ball. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling to create about 16 balls. Work quickly to prevent the dough drying out (if it does get hard to handle add a trickle of water to soften the dough).
• Tip the sesame seeds onto a plate and roll the balls in the seeds until they are well covered. If the seeds aren’t sticking well
• wet your hands a little and rub the ball this will help the sesame seeds stick.
• Place the vegetable oil in a large saucepan and heat to 170C. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Using tongs
• carefully lower a few balls at a time into the oil and cook for 3–4 minutes
• or until golden and crisp on the outside. Carefully remove the balls from the oil and leave to drain on kitchen paper. Allow to cool a little before serving.