What deep-fried dim sum pastry is filled with red bean paste and covered in sesame seeds?

The deep-fried dim sum pastry filled with red bean paste and coated in sesame seeds is jin deui, also called a sesame ball. It is made from glutinous rice flour, covered in sesame seeds, and fried until crisp and chewy.

During cooking, the dough expands and creates a hollow interior around the sweet filling. Red bean paste is common, although lotus-seed paste, black bean paste, and mung-bean paste are also used. The combination of a crunchy sesame coating, chewy rice-flour shell, and smooth filling gives the pastry its characteristic texture.

Jian dui has a long history in China. Its origins are traced to the Tang dynasty, when an early version called lüdui was associated with Chang’an, present-day Xi’an. As people migrated south after the An–Shi Rebellion, the pastry spread into southern Chinese cuisine and later throughout Asia. Regional names include matuan in northern China, mayuan in northeastern China, and goma dango in Japan.