The Cantonese glutinous rice ball dessert often filled with peanut, sesame, or red bean paste is lo mai chi.
Also known as nuomici in Mandarin, lo mai chi is a soft Chinese pastry made from glutinous rice flour. Its chewy outer layer encloses a sweet filling, and the finished ball may be dusted with dried coconut. In Hong Kong it is a standard pastry, and it is also widely found in overseas Chinatown bakeries.
Common fillings include sugar mixed with coconut and crushed peanuts, red bean paste, and black sesame paste. Modern versions may add flavors such as mango or green tea. The combination of a sticky rice shell and sweet center makes it related in appearance to other rice-based sweets, but its preparation and Cantonese pastry identity distinguish it from many dumpling traditions.
A common mix-up is tangyuan, another filled glutinous-rice sweet. Tangyuan are typically associated with boiled rice balls and festival eating, especially the Lantern Festival. Jian dui is different again: it is fried, sesame-coated, and usually hollow or paste-filled. Those distinctions make lo mai chi the best answer for this Cantonese pastry description.