Beijing Snacks—Aiwowo (艾窝窝) and Zhimaqiu (芝麻球)

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Beijing Snacks—Aiwowo (艾窝窝) and Zhimaqiu (芝麻球)

Beijing has a long history of making mung bean milk. As early as in the Liao (907-1125) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, mung bean milk was very popular. Local people of Beijing love to drink mung bean milk, because it is rich in protein, vitamin C and rough fiber and helps drive away summer heat, invigorate the function of the spleen and whet the appetite.

Aiwowo (Steamed Cone-shaped Cake/ 艾窝窝)

Aiwowo, made of sticky rice, sesame seeds, peach kernels, melon seeds and sugar, was snack beloved by the laobaixing (common people) and the imperial families of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Guanchang, sometimes cooked at home, is a snack made of flower and is dipped into garlic juice. It can be easily found at temple fairs and snack stores.
A small spherical sweet made from glutinous rice, sprinkled with

sesame seeds and walnut kernel chips, coated with white sugar and topped with a red spot. Served cold, this traditional halal snack has a history in Beijing that can be traced back to the early-Ming period.
Steamed cone-shaped cakes made of glutinous rice or millet with sweet filling first appeared in the Yuan Dynasty, and were well received by the imperial families in the Ming Dynasty. Now it is one of Beijing snacks loved by local people.
Zhimaqiu (Sesame Balls / 芝麻球/ 麻团)
Fried rice balls stuffed with a sweet filling, usually red bean paste or lotus paste and covered in sesame seeds. This is popular northeastern Chinese snack and still very popular in Beijing. Best served warm.
While Chinese bakeries sell sesame seed balls throughout the year, they are especially popular during the Chinese New Year season.

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You Can Make Your Own Sesame Balls!
INGREDIENTS:
6 cups oil for deep-frying, or as needed
1/2 cup white sesame seeds, or as needed
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 - 1 1/3 cups boiling water
3 cups (about 400 grams) glutinous rice flour
1 cup (about 200 grams) red bean paste (may not all be used)
How to Cook
1. In a wok or deep-sided, heavy saucepan, pre-heat the oil for deep-frying to 350 degrees F. Make sure that there is at least 3 inches of oil in the wok. Spread the sesame seeds over a piece of wax or parchment paper. Place a small bowl of water beside the sesame seeds.

2. Dissolve the brown sugar in 1 cup of the boiling water.
3. Place the rice flour in a large bowl. Make a "well" in the middle of the bowl and add the dissolved sugar and water mixture. Stir until you have a sticky, caramel-colored dough, adding as much of the remaining 1/3 cup of boiling water as needed (don't add the water if not needed).
4. Pinch off a piece of dough roughly the size of a golf ball. Use your thumb to make a deep indentation in the dough and then the thumb and index fingers of both hands to form the dough into a cup. Roll 1 level teaspoon of sweet red bean paste into a ball. Place the red bean paste in the hole, and shape the dough over the top to seal. It is important to make sure the red bean paste is completely covered. Continue with the remainder of the dough.
5. Dip a ball into the small bowl of water (this will help the sesame seeds stick to the ball). Roll the ball over the sesame seeds. Repeat the process with the remainder of the balls.
6. Deep-fry the sesame seed balls, a few at a time, in the hot oil.
7. Once the sesame seeds turn light brown (about 2 minutes), use the back of a spatula or a large ladle to gently press the balls against the side of the wok or saucepan. Continue applying pressure as the balls turn golden brown and expand to approximately 3 times their normal size.
8. Drain the deep-fried sesame seed balls on paper towels. Serve warm. If preparing ahead, refrigerate and then re-heat the balls until they puff up again.

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