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Make This Ferrero Mochi Bomboloncini Recipe the Highlight of Lunar New Year
Evan Sung Clarice Lam’s bomboloncini calls for an entire Ferrero Rocher that is encased in mochi and deep-fried The ultimate Lunar New Year gift may be a red envelope full of cash, but competing for a close second is neither a platter of tangerines nor an assortment of fancy teas. Instead, it’s a shiny box of Ferrero Rocher chocolates, the hazelnut-flavored truffles found at Costco, Target, and practically every Asian grocery store. Wrapped in distinctive gold foil, the chocolates were a fixture at every gathering that pastry chef Clarice Lam had with her family especially during Lunar New Year. “Ferrero Rocher is the fancy gift that you bring to any celebration in any Asian culture, but especially in Chinese culture,” Lam says. “Because it’s wrapped in gold, it has some sort of correlation to wealth and prosperity.” So when she began writing her debut cookbook, Breaking Bao, she found a way to spin them into something new: Ferrero mochi bomboloncini. Lam’s recipe is a reinterpretation of her mom’s jian dui, which also makes an appearance during the new year. “These fried sesame balls are typically served at dim sum and filled with red bean paste or lotus paste,” Lam explains. Her mom prefers her jian dui to be hollow, but Lam decided to incorporate an entire Ferrero Rocher chocolate in the center. “It’s deep fried so it’s crispy and warm and you get that nice crunch from the sesame,” Lam says. The fry also helps to melt the chocolate interior, resulting in a nutty dessert with a crisp-chewy deep-fried mochi exterior and a sweet and chocolaty core. To Lam’s surprise, her mom loves her take on jian dui. “She now refers to my cookbook to make recipes,” Lam laughs. “That, to me, is really a gold star.” Lam initially invented her take on jian dui for Kimika, a Japanese-Italian fusion restaurant in New York City. Instead of Ferrero Rocher, she filled the bomboloncini with chilled Nutella. For her cookbook, however, Lam streamlined the recipe to make it more approachable for home cooks. Ditching the Nutella for a whole Ferrero Rocher was the start. “This recipe is actually really, really simple,” she says. “I figured if you boil the water first and turn it into a sugar syrup and then pour it into the glutinous rice flour, it activates the chewiness and it’s much easier to mold.” Although the mochi dough starts out quite sticky, enough kneading makes it smooth to the touch and easy for encasing an entire truffle. If hazelnut is not your thing, Lam also suggests going the traditional route with red bean filling or lotus seed paste, or getting experimental with marzipan or tea-scented ganache. The recipe has become Lam’s new Lunar New Year tradition. “I created [this dessert] so the end product would be reminiscent of looking like a Ferrero Rocher,” Lam says. “It’s so auspicious.” Ferrero Mochi Bomboloncini Ferrero Rocher–Filled Fried Sesame Balls Makes 8 bomboloncini Ingredients: ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar1¼ cup (140 grams) Mochiko or glutinous rice flour8 Ferrero Rocher chocolates, unwrapped4 cups (960 ml) vegetable oil½ cup (70 grams) white sesame seeds Instructions: Step 1: In a small pot bring ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (95 ml) of water and ¼ cup (50 grams) of the sugar to a boil. Step 2: In a medium mixing bowl, add the Mochiko. Pour the sugary syrup into the rice flour and stir using chopsticks or a rubber spatula until it forms a shaggy mass. Knead by hand until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Cover the dough loosely with a piece of plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Step 3: Roll the dough into a log and cut into eight equal (30-gram) pieces. Take one piece, roll it into a ball, and then flatten into a 3-inch disc. Place a Ferrero Rocher in the center and wrap the dough around, pinching the seams to seal. Roll into a smooth ball once again and set aside. Repeat with the rest. Step 4: In a large heavy-bottomed pot over high heat, bring the vegetable oil to 330 degrees F. Step 5: Set up for dipping: Fill a small bowl with water and place the sesame seeds in a separate bowl. Dunk one ball into the water and shake off any excess, then roll in the sesame seeds to coat. Repeat with the rest. Step 6: Fry in two batches, four at a time, until golden brown and crispy on the outside, 10 to 12 minutes. Roll the balls around every now and then to make sure all the sides get fried. Keep an eye on the oil temperature, regulating when necessary. Step 7: Place the remaining ½ cup (100 grams) of sugar in a small bowl. Using a spider or tongs, transfer the bomboloncini to a paper towel–lined plate. While still warm, toss each one into the sugar to coat. Serve immediately. Pro Tips & Storage •These are best eaten the day of. •The balls can be assembled in advance and stored flat on a baking sheet double wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer. Frying times will obviously be longer. Excerpted from Breaking Bao: 88 Snacks and Bakes from Asia a
Clarice Lam’s bomboloncini calls for an entire Ferrero Rocher that is encased in mochi and deep-fried
The ultimate Lunar New Year gift may be a red envelope full of cash, but competing for a close second is neither a platter of tangerines nor an assortment of fancy teas. Instead, it’s a shiny box of Ferrero Rocher chocolates, the hazelnut-flavored truffles found at Costco, Target, and practically every Asian grocery store.
Wrapped in distinctive gold foil, the chocolates were a fixture at every gathering that pastry chef Clarice Lam had with her family especially during Lunar New Year. “Ferrero Rocher is the fancy gift that you bring to any celebration in any Asian culture, but especially in Chinese culture,” Lam says. “Because it’s wrapped in gold, it has some sort of correlation to wealth and prosperity.” So when she began writing her debut cookbook, Breaking Bao, she found a way to spin them into something new: Ferrero mochi bomboloncini.
Lam’s recipe is a reinterpretation of her mom’s jian dui, which also makes an appearance during the new year. “These fried sesame balls are typically served at dim sum and filled with red bean paste or lotus paste,” Lam explains. Her mom prefers her jian dui to be hollow, but Lam decided to incorporate an entire Ferrero Rocher chocolate in the center. “It’s deep fried so it’s crispy and warm and you get that nice crunch from the sesame,” Lam says. The fry also helps to melt the chocolate interior, resulting in a nutty dessert with a crisp-chewy deep-fried mochi exterior and a sweet and chocolaty core. To Lam’s surprise, her mom loves her take on jian dui. “She now refers to my cookbook to make recipes,” Lam laughs. “That, to me, is really a gold star.”
Lam initially invented her take on jian dui for Kimika, a Japanese-Italian fusion restaurant in New York City. Instead of Ferrero Rocher, she filled the bomboloncini with chilled Nutella.
For her cookbook, however, Lam streamlined the recipe to make it more approachable for home cooks. Ditching the Nutella for a whole Ferrero Rocher was the start. “This recipe is actually really, really simple,” she says. “I figured if you boil the water first and turn it into a sugar syrup and then pour it into the glutinous rice flour, it activates the chewiness and it’s much easier to mold.” Although the mochi dough starts out quite sticky, enough kneading makes it smooth to the touch and easy for encasing an entire truffle. If hazelnut is not your thing, Lam also suggests going the traditional route with red bean filling or lotus seed paste, or getting experimental with marzipan or tea-scented ganache.
The recipe has become Lam’s new Lunar New Year tradition. “I created [this dessert] so the end product would be reminiscent of looking like a Ferrero Rocher,” Lam says. “It’s so auspicious.”
Ferrero Mochi Bomboloncini
Ferrero Rocher–Filled Fried Sesame Balls
Makes 8 bomboloncini
Ingredients:
¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
1¼ cup (140 grams) Mochiko or glutinous rice flour
8 Ferrero Rocher chocolates, unwrapped
4 cups (960 ml) vegetable oil
½ cup (70 grams) white sesame seeds
Instructions:
Step 1: In a small pot bring ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (95 ml) of water and ¼ cup (50 grams) of the sugar to a boil.
Step 2: In a medium mixing bowl, add the Mochiko. Pour the sugary syrup into the rice flour and stir using chopsticks or a rubber spatula until it forms a shaggy mass. Knead by hand until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Cover the dough loosely with a piece of plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.
Step 3: Roll the dough into a log and cut into eight equal (30-gram) pieces. Take one piece, roll it into a ball, and then flatten into a 3-inch disc. Place a Ferrero Rocher in the center and wrap the dough around, pinching the seams to seal. Roll into a smooth ball once again and set aside. Repeat with the rest.
Step 4: In a large heavy-bottomed pot over high heat, bring the vegetable oil to 330 degrees F.
Step 5: Set up for dipping: Fill a small bowl with water and place the sesame seeds in a separate bowl. Dunk one ball into the water and shake off any excess, then roll in the sesame seeds to coat. Repeat with the rest.
Step 6: Fry in two batches, four at a time, until golden brown and crispy on the outside, 10 to 12 minutes. Roll the balls around every now and then to make sure all the sides get fried. Keep an eye on the oil temperature, regulating when necessary.
Step 7: Place the remaining ½ cup (100 grams) of sugar in a small bowl. Using a spider or tongs, transfer the bomboloncini to a paper towel–lined plate. While still warm, toss each one into the sugar to coat. Serve immediately.
Pro Tips & Storage
•These are best eaten the day of.
•The balls can be assembled in advance and stored flat on a baking sheet double wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer. Frying times will obviously be longer.
Excerpted from Breaking Bao: 88 Snacks and Bakes from Asia and Beyond by Clarice Lam © 2024. Published by Chronicle Books. Photographs © Evan Sung.
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