Soft and chewy pumpkin mochi filled with sweet red bean paste and crusted with sesame seeds are pan-fried to perfection. They are crispy on the outside and heavenly soft and chewy on the inside. The cake is naturally gluten-free. You will absolutely love this simple yet delicious snack made with only 6 ingredients.
What is pumpkin sesame glutinous rice cake?
This naturally gluten-free cake is made with glutinous rice flour (mochiko flour/sweet rice flour), mashed pumpkin/pumpkin puree, and just lightly sweetened with sugar. I filled them with sweet red bean paste, but they can be made without any filling too. The cake is then pan-fried until golden brown. Traditional pumpkin glutinous rice cake is deep-fried. I feel like it’s a bit too greasy and so I decided to make this version, which is much leaner yet they are so delicious!!! The crusty sesame seeds and the super soft and chewy inside are simply heavenly!
How to make pan-fried Chinese pumpkin sesame glutinous rice cake
- Get about 300 grams of pumpkin that has been peeled and seeded. Cut into cubes and then steam over medium-high heat for 15 minutes until soft. Discard any excess water that has pooled inside the steaming plate if any. This can affect the final texture of the dough. Measure out 200 grams of steamed pumpkin and mash with a fork until you get a fine texture
- Add sugar to the mashed pumpkin that is still warm and combine until sugar dissolves.
3. Add the glutinous rice flour. Mix it with a fork into a crumbly dough
4. . When it’s cool enough for your hand to handle, knead it into a smooth dough. Depending on the water content of the pumpkin you use, if you feel that the dough is too dry, add a bit of water, teaspoon by teaspoon until you can get a smooth non-sticky dough. If the dough is too wet and sticky, add a bit more glutinous rice flour
5. After 15 minutes. Roll the dough into a log and then cut into 12 portions of roughly equal size. Roll them up into balls. Work with one dough at a time and keep the rest covered to prevent them from drying out. Flatten the pancake with your palm to about 4 inch disc. Put one red bean paste filling if using and then gather the edge of the dough to enclose the filling and round it up into a ball. Gently flatten with your palm again.
6. Press both sides of the cake onto a plate filled with white sesame seeds
7. Add about 3 Tbsp of oil to a frying pan. Heat the oil over medium heat. Place some of the pumpkin cake on the pan. I recommend cooking in batches. Cook until one side is golden brown, about 3-4 minutes (depending on the size you made). Then flip over and cook the other side until golden brown too, about 3-4 minutes
8. Remove and place on an absorbent paper towel and continue cooking the rest of the batch. Remove any sesame seeds that have fallen out from the cake into the oil. Preheat more oil if necessary before you start cooking the next batch
How to store and reheat
This Chinese nan gua bing is best eaten while they are warm. Leftovers can be kept at room temperature, stored in an air-tight container for a day or two. They stay pretty soft at room temperature. They can be kept in the refrigerator for up to one week. Once you refrigerate, they will harden, which is typical. You can reheat them on the pan or microwave for a few seconds and they are as good as new.
Did you make this Chinese pumpkin sesame glutinous rice cake recipe?
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Pan-Fried Chinese Pumpkin Sesame Glutinous Rice Cake
Ingredients
- 200 gr mashed pumpkin see notes
- 190 gr glutinous rice flour plus more for adjustment
- 30 gr sugar double the amount if you don't use sweet filling
Filling:
- 150 gr red bean paste
For coating:
- ½ cup white sesame seeds
For cooking:
- Oil enough for pan-frying
Instructions
Prepare the dough:
- Get about 250 grams of pumpkin that has been peeled and seeded. Cut into cubes and then steam over medium-high heat for 15 minutes until soft. Discard any excess water that has pooled inside the steaming plate if any. This can affect the final texture of the dough. Measure out 200 grams of steamed pumpkin and mash with a fork until you get a fine texture
- Add sugar to the mashed pumpkin that is still warm and combine until sugar dissolves. Add the glutinous rice flour. Mix it with a fork into a crumbly dough. When it's cool enough for your hand to handle, knead it into a smooth dough. Depending on the water content of the pumpkin you use, if you feel that the dough is too dry, add a bit of water, teaspoon by teaspoon until you can get a smooth non-sticky dough. If the dough is too wet and sticky, add a bit more glutinous rice flour
- Cover and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
Back to the dough:
- After 15 minutes. Roll the dough into a log and then cut into 12 portions of roughly equal size. Roll them up into balls. Work with one dough at a time and keep the rest covered to prevent them from drying out.
Shaping without filling:
- Flatten the pancake with your palm to about 4 inch disc. Press both sides of the cake onto a plate filled with white sesame seeds
Shaping with filling:
- Flatten the pancake with your palm to about 4 inch disc. Put about 2 teaspoon worth of red bean paste filling and then gather the edge of the dough to enclose the filling and round it up into a ball. Gently flatten with your palm again. Press both sides of the cake onto a plate filled with white sesame seeds
Cooking:
- Add about 3 Tbsp of oil to a frying pan. Heat the oil over medium heat. Place some of the pumpkin cake on the pan. I recommend cooking in batches. Cook until one side is golden brown, about 3-4 minutes (depending on the size you made). Then flip over and cook the other side until golden brown too, about 3-4 minutes
- Remove and place on absorbent paper towel and continue cooking the rest of the batch. Remove any sesame seeds that have fallen out from the cake into the oil. Preheat more oil if necessary before you start cooking the next batch
4 comments
Definitely easier than trying to deep fry onde-onde. I will give this recipe a go and let you know how they turn out.
Yes for sure! Easier this way yet quite addicting 🙂 I hope they turn out great for you!
Can I use sweet potato instead of pumpkin? TQ
Hi Mei, yes you can. Sweet potato may not be as “watery” compared to pumpkin, so if you find the dough a bit dry, you can adjust by adding a bit of water