Glutinious Rice Balls in Caramelized Syrup and Coconut Water (Tang Yuan or Bua Loy or Khao Mauk Ma)

My mom was never much of a cook but she knew her way around Asian desserts. One of my favorite desserts was something she called Khao Mauk Ma (the Lue name). I’m making the version that I grew up eating. The Thai Bua Loy dessert is very similar but the balls are usually smaller in size and served with gingered coconut milk syrup. The Chinese version, called Tang Yuan can be plain or stuffed with ground black sesame seeds or chopped peanuts and served with a sugar syrup

My mom always made larger sized balls of unstuffed dough It wasn’t until I was older that I discovered that Bua Loy is usually made in smaller pea-size balls. My mom is a fan of shortcuts and likes to make super-sized versions to cut down on prep time. My mom never had the patience to spend hours doing intricate work. To her, time meant money and she liked to work quickly and efficiently.

I think my mom’s version is a cross between the Chinese and the Thai versions. She like the fragrant caramelized sugar syrup featured in many Thai desserts and she also liked the coconut aroma but didn’t like the heaviness that the coconut milk added to the dessert. She wanted something lighter so she started using the water from fresh young coconuts to give the dessert the coconut-y flavor. She also scooped out the soft flesh of the young coconuts and floated them with the rice balls.
The “recipe” below doesn’t have measurements. Just measure out as much flour as you feel like making. I used a one pound bag of flour and ended up using about between a cup and a cup and a half of water to form a stiff dough.

Glutinous Rice Balls in Caramelized Syrup and Coconut Water (Tang Yuan or Bua Loy or Khao Mauk Ma)

Ingredients:
glutinous rice flour
water
sugar
young coconut (the husk should be white)
raw peanuts, roasted and chopped

1. Dump some rice flour into a bowl and slowly mix in water to form a stiff dough.
2. Bring a pot of water to a fast boil.
3. Form marble-size balls by pinching off a small piece of dough and rolling between palms. Drop balls into boiling water. Continue to add balls of flour to the boiling water. The balls will float to the top when cooked. Use a slotted spoon to removed cooked balls and transfer to a bowl of water.
4. Meanwhile, caramelize some sugar in a saucepan. When the sugar is a deep golden color, carefully add water and simmer until sugar is dissolved.
5. Pierce the "eyes" of the coconut with screw driver or ice pick then drain and reserve the water. Crack the coconut open and scoop out the soft flesh with a spoon.
6. Serve dough balls with caramelize sugar syrup, coconut water, coconut flesh and roasted peanuts.