Hakka Abacus Beads (客家算盘子）

I made Abacus Beads this afternoon together with my 2 girls. The two pairs of hands are of great help to me in the preparation of this time-consuming traditional snack of their dialect group - Hakka.

Among the traditional Hakka cuisines which my mother-in-law used to cooked, I like the Abacus Beads and Lei Cha Rice (擂茶饭) the most.

For the Abacus Beads, they are yam-and-tapioca flour dough which are kneaded into bead-like little balls and stir-fried with minced meats, mushrooms, or other vegetables. For more write-ups relating to Hakka Cuisine, you can click on this link.

I am sharing the recipe of this traditional cuisine of the Hakka-nese through Edith's Heritage Food Trail.

Hakka Abacus Beads Recipe

Dough:

• 600g yam (steamed and mashed)
• 300g Tapioca Flour (茨粉)
• 120ml boiling water

(Rules of thumb: 1 part yam + 1/2 part flour + 1/5 part water)

For Stir-frying:

• minced pork / chicken (I used one whole pack bought from supermarket's meat section)
• A handful of dried shrimp, soaked and chopped finely
• Some Chinese mushrooms, soaked and cut into thin slices
• Some Chinese black fungus, soaked and cut into thin slices
• 2 tbsp chopped garlic / shallot

Seasonings:

• pinch of  white pepper
• Light soya sauce, fish sauce, according to your taste
• A few drops of dark soya sauce to add color to the dish 

Cooking Steps:

1. Mixed mashed yam, tapioca flour and water together. Knead into a dough that holds together.
2. With cleaned hands, pinch small amount of the dough and roll into small balls, each about the size of a marble.
3. Use your thumb and index finger; gently press the centre of each bead ball to make indented holes on the top and bottom sides of the ball that assemble abacus beads. Repeat the process for the rest of the dough.
4. Bring a pan of water to boil, gently drop the balls into the boiling water to cook over several batches. Stir to prevent sticking together.
5. When the balls float up to the surface, they are cooked. Scoop them out from the pan and place them in a big pot filled with cold tap water. Set aside until you are ready to stir-fry them.
6. Heat up a wok and saute the garlic/shallot, dried shrimp, Chinese mushroom, black fungus and the minced meat. Stir fry until they are cooked.
7. Drain the cooked abacus beads from the cold water and add the balls into the wok, stir to combine with all other ingredients.
8. Add in seasoning. Continue to stir fry for one or two minutes. Off the fire and dish up.