• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Kawaling Pinoy

Serving Delicious Asian Recipes One Pot at a Time

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Kitchen Tips
  • About
  • Nav Social Menu

Home » Recipe Index » Sweets and Desserts » Carioca

Carioca

Published: Mar 29, 2018 · Modified: Jul 11, 2020 by Lalaine Manalo · This post may contain affiliate links

1.5Kshares
  • Share
  • Email
Recipe Print

Carioca balls with brown sugar glaze are the perfect snack or dessert! These fried sticky rice treats are sweet, chewy, and gluten-free!

Carioca skewered in bamboo sticks on a white plate
Carioca

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 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.

tungi-tungi rice balls in bamboo sticks on a white plate

With only four ingredients and ready in 30 minutes, these sweetened fried sticky rice balls are quick and easy snacks to prepare at home. What took a little bit more work was figuring out the right proportions for the dough.

After a few tries, I found 1 ½ cups glutinous rice flour to 1 cup of water ratio to yield the soft and chewy texture I like.

glutinous rice flour in a bowl with bowl of brown sugar and a measuring cup of water on the side

Cooking tips

  • To amp up the flavor, swap the water with coconut milk or coconut juice.
  • The dough should not feel dry or too sticky. If it feels too dry, add more water a tablespoon at a time until the dough is smooth and pliable. If too wet, add more glutinous rice flour a tablespoon at a time.
  • "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 the optimal temperature of 350 to 375 F during frying. Too low and the rice balls will absorb more grease. Too hot and the rice balls will brown on the outside before completely cooked through on the inside and might cause the balls to explode.
  • Use enough oil, so the rice balls are submerged. Use high-smoke point oils such as peanut oil, canola oil, and safflower which are meant for deep-frying.
  • Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry in batches as needed to prevent the oil temperature from plummeting and enough space to move the balls freely.
  • The dough will float to the surface when done. Cook a little longer until lightly browned to prevent them from collapsing.

carioca dough formed into balls with a bowl of brown sugar on the side

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 ¼ 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 in 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.
  • Dip the fried rice balls in the caramel to fully coat or drizzle generously with the caramel. Work quickly as the syrup will thicken as it cools.

fried sticky rice balls with brown sugar glaze in bamboo skewers

How to serve

  • Carioca are amazing with tsokolate, coffee, tea or your favorite cold beverage for a midday snack or anytime you need a sweet treat!
  • Store at room temperature for about 1 to 2 days. Depending on the ambient temperature, the balls might begin to "sweat" after awhile due to the caramel sugar.
  • To keep longer, cover loosely with film and refrigerate. They'll last for about 5 to 7 days but please note the cold temperature will change the texture from chewy to hard.
fried sticky rice balls with brown sugar glaze in bamboo skewers
Print Recipe Leave a Comment
4.14 from 36 votes

Carioca

Carioca recipe made of deep fried glutinous rice balls coated with caramel and then skewered in bamboo sticks
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time30 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Filipino
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 168kcal
Author: Lalaine Manalo

Ingredients

For the Carioca

  • 1 ½ cups glutinous rice flour
  • 1 cup water (and 1 tablespoon or so more if needed)
  • canola oil

For the Sugar Coating

  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¼ cup water
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • In a bowl, combine glutinous rice flour and 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.
  • 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.
  • In a wide pan over medium heat, heat about 3-inches deep of oil. Gently add balls into the oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until they float to the top. Continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes or until golden.
  • With a slotted spoon, remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
  • 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. 
  • Skewer in bamboo skewers if desired.

For the Sugar Coating

  • In a saucepan, combine dark brown sugar and ¼ cup water. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
  • Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Continue to cook WITHOUT stirring until syrup golden brown. 

Nutrition

Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Potassium: 15mg | Sugar: 16g | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Tried this recipe? I'd love to see what you made!mention @Kawalingpinoy and hashtag your photo with #kawalingpinoy

 

More Good Food

Pichi-Pichi
Ube Kalamay
Buko Pandan Salad
<< Ube Kalamay
Pineapple Chicken Afritada >>
Lalaine from Kawaling Pinoy

Hello! My name is Lalaine and welcome to Kawaling Pinoy where you’ll find Filipino and Asian-inspired recipes, cooking tips, and how-to videos. Read more...

Subscribe

Thank you! You have successfully subscribed to our newsletter.

Subscribe

Get updates via email and a FREE eCookbook!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. ANDREA says

    May 20, 2019 at 11:06 am

    Nice to meet you, Lalaine. I tried the recipe yesterday afternoon. I followed all the instructions and they turned out delicious! Next time, I'll try them with coconut water or shredded coconut. Greetings from Buenos Aires, Argentina!

    Reply
    • Lalaine Manalo says

      July 09, 2019 at 6:01 pm

      Good to hear it turned out delicious for you, Andrea! Greetings.

      Reply
  2. Thomas J Cartwright says

    May 10, 2019 at 9:21 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe. I too used brown sugar but added just a little vanilla.. Yummy!!!!!!

    Reply
    • Lalaine Manalo says

      May 12, 2019 at 12:57 am

      Thanks for the feedback and tip! Vanilla sounds like a delicious addition of flavor 🙂

      Reply
  3. Maria says

    April 13, 2019 at 8:02 am

    Thank you for sharing this recipe. This is one of my childhood favourites!

    Reply
    • Lalaine Manalo says

      April 13, 2019 at 10:30 pm

      You're welcome. Enjoy!

      Reply
  4. Mark Prynkiewicz says

    August 28, 2018 at 5:40 pm

    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 🙂

    Reply
    • Lalaine says

      September 01, 2018 at 1:04 am

      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.

      Reply
    • Sam says

      December 20, 2018 at 10:27 am

      Wondering if these have to be eaten warm or can they be made to be eaten later in the day?

      Reply
      • Lalaine says

        December 20, 2018 at 10:39 am

        You can eat them later in the day. They're usually sold in stores at room temperature 🙂

        Reply
  5. aleli says

    July 20, 2018 at 11:18 am

    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?

    Reply
    • Lalaine says

      July 22, 2018 at 12:31 am

      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.

      Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hello from Lalaine!

Welcome to Kawaling Pinoy where you'll find hundreds of delicious Filipino and Asian recipes. Make sure to browse around and pick a favorite dish or two. Happy cooking! Read More…

Never Miss a Recipe!

Thank you! You have successfully subscribed to our newsletter.

Never Miss a Recipe!

Get updates via email and a FREE eCookbook

Trending Recipes

  • tocilog on a white plate with a bowl of chopped tomatoes on the side Homemade Pork Tocino
  • empanadas with ground beef filling arranged in a single layer on parchment paper Beef Empanada
  • Champorado Champorado
  • Relyenong Bangus Relyenong Bangus

Party Favorites

Tamarind Chicken Wings in a brown-paper lined basket

Tamarind Chicken Wings

cheesy baked sushi in clear casserole dish with sliced mangoes, cucumbers, and egg omelet on the side

Sushi Bake

cheese and hot dog bread rolls on a white plate with ketchup on the side

Cheese Dog Bread Rolls

Ukoy papaya

Ukoy

sizzling gambas on a cast iron skillet

Sizzling Gambas

cheesy spring rolls on parchment paper

Cheese Sticks

Footer

Logos of featured in places

↑ BACK TO TOP | HOME | CONTACT | PRIVACY POLICY | Copyright © 2021 Kawaling Pinoy, LLC

MENU
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact