Sweet Potato Balls
Khanom Kai Nok Krata
Small fried sweet potato balls with a crisp shell and chewy, cinnamon-scented center
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 7 min
- Serves
- 4
- Heat
- mild
These little balls get their name from their resemblance to quail eggs, and they're a familiar sight from street vendors across Thailand, sold by the bagful to be eaten while walking. The batter is nothing more than mashed sweet potato bound with a little tapioca starch and sugar, rolled by hand into small balls with well-floured fingers since the mixture is quite sticky. Frying at a gentle, controlled temperature while keeping them constantly rolling in the oil is what gives them their crisp, doughnut-like shell around a soft, chewy center, finished with a light dusting of powdered sugar while still warm.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon Sweet potato, mashed (steamed, boiled, or baked until very soft)
- 2 2/3 tablespoons Tapioca starch
- 1 3/4 tablespoons Sugar
- 1/3 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1/5 teaspoon Salt
- 1/8 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground
- 1 3/4 tablespoons All-purpose flour (for dusting hands while rolling)
- 2-3 cups Vegetable oil (for deep frying)
- 1 tablespoon Powdered sugar (for dusting)
Directions
- Cook the sweet potato until very soft — steaming takes about 20 to 30 minutes, but boiling, baking, or microwaving also work. Peel, trim any rough or hard spots, and mash or whip until smooth.
- Stir in the tapioca starch, sugar, salt, and cinnamon until you have a thick, pasty batter.
- Dust your hands well with flour. Scoop about a teaspoon of batter into your palm and roll into a small ball, re-flouring your hands as needed since the batter is sticky. Lay the balls on a floured tray or one lined with wax paper.
- Heat the oil to about 300F/150C in a deep pot — keep it low, since the sugar in the batter burns easily at higher heat.
- Fry a few balls at a time so the pot isn't crowded, stirring continuously with a rolling motion so they never sit still. Cook for at least 5 minutes, until golden brown.
- Drain on a wire rack or paper towel. While still warm, dust lightly with powdered sugar.
- Serve while still a little warm for the best texture and flavor.
Notes
Keep the frying oil on the low end of the temperature range and keep the balls rolling constantly in the oil — the sugar in the batter scorches quickly if they sit still or the oil runs too hot.
Substitutions
Any type of yam or sweet potato works here — orange, purple, or white varieties all produce good results, just with slightly different colors.