This was inspired by the taro balls I used to always get at this place called, “Meet Fresh”. I was always so happy whenever I got a big bowl of these because they were so chewy and came in so many different variations.

I decided to make my own because I can make them in bulk and freeze them for later use. Whenever I’m craving for these, I can simply take them out of the freezer, cook it and enjoy them fresh.

I decided to go with the classics and serve it with grass jelly, taro paste, taro balls, sweet potato balls, purple yam balls, and finish it off with a huge drizzle of condensed milk. You can customize it however you want by adding toppings such as red bean, ice cream, jelly – the variations are endless!

If you do try out this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and/or give it a rating! I’d also love to see your creations so don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

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Taiwanese Taro & Sweet Potato Balls Dessert

The perfect summer dessert – chewy balls, just like the ones you see at night markets and made with natural ingredients.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Taiwanese

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Author Dearnomdiary

Ingredients

Taro Balls

• 100 g taro
• 55 g tapioca starch, plus more
• 35 g hot water
• 20 g sugar

Sweet Potato Balls

• 100 g sweet potato
• 55 g tapioca starch, plus more
• 35 g hot water
• 20 g sugar

Purple Yam Balls

• 100 g purple yam
• 55 g tapioca starch, plus more
• 35 g hot water
• 20 g sugar

Instructions

• Peel and chop the taro, purple yam, and sweet potato in small chunks. Steam for 25-30 minutes, or until soft and you can poke it through with a toothpick. Make sure to steam them separately to prevent any colour transfer.
• Work with one at a time. For each one, mash until smooth.
• Add in the tapioca starch and mix with a fork. Form a small volcano and add hot water on the top and let it sit for 30 seconds (this step is crucial in order to make the balls chewy!) Mix with a fork until the water has been absorbed, then form into a dough and knead with your hands for a few minutes.
• Roll out into logs and cut into bite-sized pieces. Form into balls that look *smooth*.
• Place the balls in a bowl of tapioca starch and sieve out all the excess. If you want to save these for later use, you can freeze them in freezer bags now (see note).

To Cook

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once it boils, add in the taro balls FIRST. Work with one flavour at a time. When they float, let it cook for 2-3 more minutes, and then immediately place it in an ice bath. Repeat for the sweet potato balls second, and the purple yam balls LAST (to prevent colour transfer from the water).
• Drain and place in separate bowls and mix with sugar. They are now ready to eat.
• For the real complete package, add grass jelly to a bowl, and then taro paste, taro balls, sweet potato balls, and purple yam balls. Drizzle with condensed milk and mix everything together. Enjoy!

Notes

If cooking frozen taro balls, sweet potato balls, and purple yam balls: no need to defrost. Just take them out of the freezer and straight to a pot of boiling water.

Sometimes, I would order this at Taiwanese restaurants, but it’s always a hit or a miss. Either the chicken is not crispy enough, or the meat becomes too tough and chewy. Not to worry, you can now easily make it at home with accessible ingredients from your local Asian grocery store. One of the key ingredients for a crispy Taiwanese style popcorn chicken is using tapioca starch for the batter. Tapioca starch is what creates those crispy bubbles on the outside of the chicken.

Another tip to making crispy chicken is to double fry! I can’t explain how important it is to double fry. Not only does it make the chicken cooked throughly for sure, it also ends in an even crispier texture. All you need to do is fry for an extra 2 to 3 minutes over high heat.

Perfect for a snack, or you can even serve this as a main dish with some rice.

Ingredients:

Popcorn Chicken:

• 600g chicken thigh (cut into bite sized pieces)
• 2 tbsp grated garlic
• 1/2 of a whisked large egg
• 2.5 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine
• 1 tbsp five spice powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 cups tapioca starch
• 1.5 cups thai basil
• Neutral oil (for frying)

Seasoning Mix:

• 2 tsp pepper salt
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

For popcorn chicken:
1. Start off by making the spices mix. Mix the five spice powder, chili powder, white pepper, and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside. Mix the five spice powder, chili powder, white pepper, and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Add the chicken in a large bowl with the grated garlic, egg, soy sauce, and rice wine. Mix it all together. Then, add the spices mix (from step 1) into the chicken mixture and combine it all together. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 mins, or up to overnight.

3. Coat each chicken piece in tapioca starch evenly and let it sit for 5 minutes to ensure the coating doesn’t fall off.
4. In a deep wok/pan over medium-high heat, heat up the neutral oil for frying. Once the oil is heated, fry the Thai basil for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove and set aside. This makes the oil more fragrant!
5. Fry the chicken for 5 minutes, or until golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Remove, and deep fry for a second time for an extra 2 to 3 minutes. This makes it even crispier! Remove and place the chicken in a serving dish.

For Seasoning Mix:

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and sprinkle on the chicken. Enjoy!

If you do try out this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and/or give it a rating! I’d also love to see your creations so don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

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Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken (Crispy & Juicy!)

Crispy. Juicy.

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Snack

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Author Dearnomdiary

Ingredients

For popcorn chicken

• 600 g chicken thigh (cut into bite sized pieces)
• 2 tbsp grated garlic
• ½ of a whisked large egg
• 2½ tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine
• 1 tbsp five spice powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 cups tapioca starch
• 1.5 cups Thai basil
• Neutral oil (for frying)

Seasoning Mix

• 2 tsp pepper salt
• 1 tsp white pepper
• ½ tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp garlic powder

Instructions

For popcorn chicken

• Start off by making the spices mix. Mix the five spice powder, chili powder, white pepper, and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside. 
• Add the chicken in a large bowl with the grated garlic, egg, soy sauce, and rice wine. Mix it all together. Then, add the spices mix (from step 1) into the chicken mixture and combine it all together. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 mins, or up to overnight.
• Coat each chicken piece in tapioca starch evenly and let it sit for 5 minutes to ensure the coating doesn’t fall off.
• In a deep wok/pan over medium-high heat, heat up the neutral oil for frying. Once the oil is heated, fry the Thai basil for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove and set aside. This makes the oil more fragrant!
• Fry the chicken for 5 minutes, or until golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Remove, and deep fry for a second time for an extra 2 to 3 minutes. This makes it even crispier! Remove and place the chicken in a serving dish.

For Seasoning Mix

• Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and sprinkle on the chicken. Enjoy!