Carioca with brown sugar glaze are the perfect snack or dessert! These fried rice balls are sweet, chewy and gluten-free!
I was on my ritual afternoon phone chat with my mother last Saturday when she asked what I was cooking for my website. “Carioca”, I answered. “What is that?”, she asked.
I was surprised she didn’t know what I thought to be a popular Filipino snack food but nevertheless proceeded to explain, “Deep-fried glutinous rice balls coated with caramel.”
“Ah, tungi tungi!”, she exclaimed. I soon realized what caused her confusion and that is our many Philippine dialects to blame! “Tungi” means to skewer in Kapampangan and carioca are called tungi-tungi in our region as they are commonly sold skewered in bamboo sticks.
With only 4 ingredients and ready in 30 minutes, carioca is a quick and easy snack to prepare at home. What took a little bit more work was figuring out the right proportions for the dough. After a couple of experimentation, I found 1 1/2 cups glutinous rice flour to 1 cup of water ratio to yield the soft and chewy texture I like.
Tips on How to Make Carioca:
- Want to amp up flavor? Swap water with coconut milk or coconut juice!
- The dough should not feel dry or too sticky. If needed, add more water a tablespoon at a time until dough is smooth and pliable.
- “Poke” the dough balls with the bamboo stick before deep-frying to prevent them from “exploding” and to lessen the splattering of hot oil.
- Maintain optimal temperature of 350 to 375 F during frying. Too hot and the rice balls will brown on the outside before completely cooked through on the inside. Too low and the rice balls will absorb more grease.
- Use enough oil so the rice balls are submerged. The balls will float to surface when done.
How to Make Caramel Syrup:
You can either use the dry or wet method in making the caramel sauce. I like to use the wet method which is simply adding 1/4 cup of water to 1 cup of sugar and boiling off the mixture until thick and golden in color.
- Stir until the sugar is dissolved but once the mixture comes to a boil, DO NOT stir as the agitation may cause crystallization and result to a grainy caramel.
- Take the caramel off the heat when it’s a shade slightly lighter than the color you like as it will continue to cook from the residual heat. Work quickly in coating the rice balls as the syrup thickens as it cools.
Give this carioca recipe a try. It’s amazing with tsokolate for midday snack or anytime you need a sweet treat!
Carioca with brown sugar glaze are the perfect snack or dessert! These fried rice balls are sweet, chewy and gluten-free!
- 1 1/2 cups glutinous rice flour
- 1 cup water (and 1 tablespoon or so more if needed)
- oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- bamboo skewers
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In a bowl, combine glutinous rice flour and the 1 cup of water. Stir until flour is moistened. If needed, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time to form a firm but smooth and pliable dough. Dough should not feel dry or too sticky.
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Scoop about 1 teaspoonful of dough and roll in palm of hands into 1-inch balls. Using the sharp end of one bamboo skewer, poke through each dough ball.
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In a wide pan over medium heat, heat about 3-inches deep of oil. Gently add balls into oil and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 7 to 10 minutes or until golden. Do not overcrowd pan, cook in batches as needed.
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With a slotted spoon, remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
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Dip carioca in the sugar syrup until fully coated. Arrange in single layer on a wire rack set over a pan or on a parchment-lined baking sheet to cool.
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Skewer in bamboo skewers if desired.
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In a saucepan, combine dark brown sugar and 1/4 cup water. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
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Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Continue to cook WITHOUT stirring until syrup golden brown.
I sell these on my food truck and people love them! For us we found that making the dough “wetter” using coconut milk, then portioning out onto a cookie sheet, semi freezing it, then molding into a ball form before completely freezing them helps with the “exploding” issue. Sounds like a lot of work, but it’s not to bad. We also use sweetened coconut flakes in the mix. We make our caramel sauce out of coconut milk and brown sugar. Deep fried at 350 from frozen seems to take us about 7 minutes for a golden brown outside and chewy soft inside. One of my favorite desserts, right behind Turon 🙂
Thank you so much for the tips, Mark. I am definitely going to try adding coconut flakes, I am sure it adds delicious texture. May I ask where your food truck is? I love food trucks, the food are usually unique and different from regular restaurants.
Hello! I tried making these today and it tastes great! I used brown sugar for the syrup instead of white. I think the recipe said dark brown but somewhere also it seems i need to use white sugar. Mine turned out good and somewhat crispy. Poked through with a stick but the balls still exploded while in the pan. Could it be my oven temp?
Hi Aleli,
The dough exploding in the oil seems to be he common problem here, I’ve had a few readers with the same experience. I’m really sorry about this because I know it takes time and ingredients to make a recipe. To be honest, I’ve never had a problem with them exploding when I make them and I am not sure maybe it’s the temp of the oil that’s causing them to burst? Maybe the oil is too hot and the sudden shock of heat causes them to burst? Or maybe it’s not hot enough so the dough balls are not browning fast enough and too long in the oil causes them to burst? I use a thermometer when I fry to ensure I have 350 F but this is not a common practice for most home cooks.
I have few readers who made this successfully so hopefully, they’ll chime in in the comments to share their experience.
I’m curious, doesn’t the usual carioca recipe includes coconut??
You can add shredded coconut if you like 🙂
I made this today and added 1 cup of shredded coconut and it was so delicious! Thanks for the recipe, Lalaine!
Thanks for the feedback, Jec. The added coconut sounds very tasty, I am going to try it next I make them again.
wonder if these would work in an air fryer? don’t mind deep frying just curious. like the idea of the carmel but also got thinking about a cinnamon sugar coating maybe in a thin glaze like
I’ve never tried it in an air fryer but sounds like a great option. Let me know how it turns out, I can’t wait to use my air fryer!
Oh my goodness, thank you for posting this! My mother used to make this when I was a child and I absolutely loved it. I couldn’t remember what it was called, but I just knew it was made of glutinous rice flour and it splattered in the frying pan lol. I’ll try your barbecue stick method and see if that helps!
This is one of my childhood favorites, too. Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Thank you for sharing the recipe. I had this in Pampanga and been wondering how it’s made then.
I used a Danish donut cast iron pan brushed with oil. I made caramel syrup for it. It is very good. Thanks again for sharing best pinoy recipes.
Wow, interesting method! I have to try a donut pan, I hate deep-frying. 🙂 Thanks for the tip!
These look delicious. Will have to try them soon. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Bebs 🙂
Love your recipe for Mucho. When I was in China, they made them using sweet potatoes instead of rice flour. Can I use your recipe to make them? If so, how?
Hello, Sharon
Unfortunately, I haven’t tried them using sweet potatoes so I wouldn’t know how. I’ll do some experimentation and research and would definitely post the recipe if successful. 🙂
I tried your recipe , but they exploded like crazy. I think the water on the dough makes it explode.
Hello Tito,
I am sorry to hear that, splattering oil can be very painful.
I am not sure if you read my whole post or went straight to the recipe? I recommended “Be sure to “poke” the dough balls with the bamboo stick before deep-frying to prevent them from “exploding” and to lessen the splattering of hot oil.” I do include these tips on most of my post to share my experiences (what worked/what didn’t) to guide readers through the process.
I hope you give the recipe another try and let me know if you have questions. I am here to help!
lol I use milk some people recipes I saw online use coconut milk, you have to turn down the heat also so they don’t explode and use a oil screen, a couple of mine exploded too last night hehe but turn heat down a notch
Thanks for the tips!
Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome 🙂
Hi!!! How you doing anyway thank on your recipes if you doing mine can you till the recipe of sapin sapin, some Pilipinos recipe
Thank you very much
Benjie
Love Carioca! I tried a recipe that used coconut milk instead of water, and I wanted to try this recipe to see if it would produce a lighter variation. I added in about 1/2 a cup of shredded coconut, and poked the balls before frying, but they were still exploding :/ Not the funnest experience, but they were still yummy and chewy! The only thing is that I didn’t get them golden brown – mainly because I was afraid of more oil splatter! Did I do something wrong for them to still explode even though I poked them before frying?
Hi Lalaine! Carioca is one of my favorite FilipIno desserts, ty for sharing your recipe.
I just made this but it came out hard instead of soft and chewy. I just fried it until golden. Is there such a thing as over kneading / over mixing rice flour? Thanks ?
Hello Mia
No, the texture is not affected by over/undermixing but more of the flour and water ratio. The dough should not feel dry to touch but kind of soft but not too sticky. Did the carioca puff up during frying?
This is one of my favorite..when someone shouts at the street “carioca”..
hurriedly i go out and bought bout 10sticks..
thanks Lalaine..now i can cook for my own..
yumm..
i have always wanted to try carioca.. now iknow how to.. 🙂
thanks ate lalaine.. 🙂
You’re welcome 🙂
Hi Ate Lalaine
Can I add some macapuno strings or shredded coconut?
If so, how much?
Best,
JC
Yes, you can 🙂