Vietnamese Glutinous Rice Balls in Ginger Syrup

🥥 Ingredients (Serves ~4)
Dough:

• 200g glutinous rice flour
• ~120–140 ml warm water (add slowly)

Filling:

• 100g split mung beans (soaked 2–3 hours)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• pinch of salt

Ginger syrup:

• 1 litre water
• 120–150g sugar (adjust to taste)
• 4–5 slices fresh ginger (thinly sliced)
• pinch salt

Coconut sauce (optional but recommended):

• 200 ml coconut milk
• 1 tbsp sugar
• pinch salt

Toppings:

• Toasted sesame seeds


🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prepare mung bean filling

• Steam soaked mung beans for ~15–20 minutes until soft
• Mash or blend until smooth
• Add sugar + pinch of salt
• Cook on low heat, stirring until it thickens into a paste
• Let cool → roll into small balls (about 2–3 cm)

👉 Texture: soft but firm enough to hold shape

2. Make the dough

• Put glutinous rice flour in a bowl
• Slowly add warm water while mixing
• Knead until smooth, soft, and not sticky

👉 If too dry → add a bit more water
👉 If too sticky → dust with a little flour

3. Shape the balls

• Take a small piece of dough (slightly bigger than filling)
• Flatten it
• Place mung bean ball inside
• Wrap and roll into a smooth ball

👉 Make sure no cracks → or it may break when boiling

4. Cook the balls

• Bring a pot of water to boil
• Drop balls in gently
• When they float → cook another 2–3 minutes
• Remove and transfer into cold water (helps keep them chewy)

5. Make ginger syrup

• Boil 1 litre water with ginger slices
• Add sugar + pinch salt
• Simmer 5–10 minutes until fragrant

6. Cook everything together

• Add cooked rice balls into ginger syrup
• Simmer gently for 5–10 minutes so they absorb flavor

7. Coconut sauce (quick step)

• Heat coconut milk + sugar + salt
• Do NOT boil hard (just warm gently)


🍽️ Serve

• Put rice balls in a bowl with ginger syrup
• Drizzle coconut sauce on top
• Sprinkle sesame seeds


✨ Final Result

• Outside: soft, chewy, slightly sticky
• Inside: smooth sweet mung bean
• Broth: warm, gingery, lightly sweet
• Coconut: creamy contrast


🔥 Important Tips (these make a BIG difference)

• Dough must be smooth with no cracks
• Don’t overcook → or balls become too soft
• Ginger is key → gives the signature flavor
• Best eaten warm, not cold