How to Make Lüdagun: A Delicious Chinese Dessert with Red Bean Paste
Lüdagun is a traditional Chinese dessert made from soft glutinous rice dough filled with red bean paste, then rolled in roasted soybean flour. This chewy, subtly sweet treat is perfect for any occasion!
Servings 5
Ingredients
- 300 g glutinous rice flour
- 60 g corn starch
- 25 g white sugar
- 25 g corn oil
- 360 g water
For the filling:
- 150 g red bean paste homemade or store-bought
- 15 g warm water
For decoration:
- Roasted soybean flour– Use coconut flakes if you can't find roasted soybean flour.
Instructions
Prepare the rice batter
- In a large bowl, combine 300g glutinous rice flour, 60g corn starch, and 25g white sugar. Gradually pour in 25g corn oil, then slowly add 360g water. Stir until the mixture becomes smooth and flowing with no dry flour particles remaining.
Steam the rice batter
- Prepare a suitable container and pour the rice batter into it. Fill a steamer with enough water and bring it to a boil. Place the container with the rice batter into the steamer, cover, and steam over medium heat for 25 minutes.
- At around the 15-minute mark, check by inserting chopsticks into the center. If there's still a white core, continue steaming until fully cooked and the center is no longer white.
Prepare the red bean paste
- While the rice batter is steaming, prepare the filling. Place 150g red bean paste in a bowl and add 15g warm water. Stir until the paste becomes soft and easy to spread.
Shape and decorate
- Once the rice batter is steamed, remove the container and flip the dough onto a surface dusted with roasted soybean flour. Wearing disposable gloves, shape the dough while it's still hot into a rectangular shape.
- Coat both sides of the dough with a layer of roasted soybean flour to prevent sticking and enhance the flavor.
- Roll out the dough using a rolling pin to about the thickness of a coin.
- Evenly spread the prepared red bean paste over the dough. Adjust the amount of paste to your liking, adding more for a sweeter taste.
- From one end, tightly roll up the dough, making sure to roll it as tightly as possible to avoid loose spots. Once rolled, gently adjust the shape with your hands to make sure the roll is evenly thick throughout.
- Cut the rolled dough into even segments using a piece of string. Be steady while cutting to ensure neat, uniform pieces.
- Finally, dust each piece with more roasted soybean flour to enhance the flavor.