Banh Ran Man (Savory Fried Glutinous Rice Balls), Made with Monk Fruit Sweetener

Method

1. Put 320g of glutinous rice flour, 45g of rice flour and 55g of boiled potato mashed smooth into a large bowl, add 27g of kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 5g of salt and mix through. Add 220ml of water slowly and knead gently until the dough comes together.
2. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and rest the dough for 45 to 60 minutes. Dough made the night before and kept in the fridge turns out better.
3. Make the dipping sauce and pickles: cut 150g of carrot into thin flower shapes and 150g of kohlrabi into thin squares. Combine 185ml of water, 25ml of lime juice, 40.5g of kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 25ml of fish sauce and the garlic and chili, and mix it through the carrot and kohlrabi.
4. Make the filling: soak 20g of glass noodles and 12g of wood ear mushroom in warm water until soft, then squeeze them dry. Dice the wood ear small, cut the noodles into lengths, shred 52g of carrot and dice 20g of onion. Put them all in a bowl with 205g of ground pork, 6ml of cooking oil, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder and 1 teaspoon of salt and mix through.
5. Take a portion of dough and press it slightly flat, put the filling in the middle and shape it so the dough sits right against the filling with no air trapped between. Close it up and seal the seam carefully.
6. Heat the oil over medium heat, testing with a chopstick until small bubbles rise around the tip. Add the balls and, after 1 to 2 minutes once the surface sets, stir them gently so they do not stick to one another or to the base of the pan.
7. Fry until golden brown with a crisp shell, then lift them out. Serve hot with the sweet and sour dipping sauce and pickles.

Tips

• Shaping the dough right against the filling with no trapped air is what keeps the balls from cracking.
• The longer the dough rests the better, and making it the night before to keep in the fridge is best of all.
• The boiled potato has to be mashed truly smooth before it joins the flour, since any lumps pit the shell.
• Testing the oil with a chopstick and looking for small bubbles around the tip is the sign to start frying.
• Stirring only after 1 to 2 minutes once the surface sets matters, as moving them earlier tears them.