Abacus Seeds (Suan Pan Zi) in Singapore: Make Them With QQ Balls

If you grew up in a Hakka family, the smell of abacus seeds hitting a hot wok probably means a festival is near. Known as suan pan zi or 算盘子, these chewy little discs are one of the most loved Hakka dishes, and the dough behind them is closer to our QQ sweet potato and yam balls than you might expect. In this guide we explain what abacus seeds are, how they are traditionally made, and how the sweet potato and tapioca QQ dough behind Ah Ma QQ Bowl is the same base, so QQ bowls and sweet potato balls can be used to make a traditional abacus seed meal at home.

TL;DR - Key Takeaways

- Abacus seeds (算盘子) are Hakka dumplings made from taro (yam) and tapioca flour, boiled, then stir-fried with savoury ingredients (Wikipedia).

- They are traditionally eaten at festivals such as Chinese New Year, as a wish for wealth.

- Our QQ dough is the same base: mashed sweet potato bound with tapioca starch, boiled soft and chewy. QQ bowls and sweet potato balls can be used to make a traditional abacus seed meal at home.

- Our QQ balls are always boiled and soft, never fried, made in our Hougang home kitchen.

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What Are Abacus Seeds (Suan Pan Zi)?

Abacus seeds are small, dimpled, disc-shaped dumplings. The name refers to the beads on an abacus, and because the abacus is tied to counting money, the dish is eaten at festivals like Chinese New Year as a wish for wealth and prosperity. The round shape also stands for reunion and good health. According to Wikipedia, Hakka women are said to have prepared the dish for village men leaving to find work, as both food and a wish for their success.

You will find it today in parts of China, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore, especially wherever there is a large Hakka community. In Singapore it appears at family reunions, Hakka restaurants and festive tables.

What Goes Into Traditional Abacus Seeds?

The dough is beautifully simple. Most recipes use only two main things: steamed, mashed yam (taro) and tapioca starch, with a little hot water, salt and sugar to bring it together.

• The Singapore Women's Weekly recipe uses 160g yam, 45g tapioca starch and 30g hot water, with a little salt, sugar and white pepper.
• The starch is kneaded into the yam while it is still hot, which is the same trick behind a good QQ bite.
• The dough is shaped into small bead-like pieces and dropped into boiling water. When they float, they are ready.

After boiling, the seeds are stir-fried with ingredients such as minced pork, mushrooms, dried shrimp, dried cuttlefish and firm tofu, seasoned simply with pepper and a savoury sauce.

Why the QQ Dough Works for Abacus Seeds

Our sweet potato balls are made from real mashed sweet potato and taro with tapioca starch. That is exactly the structure of an abacus seed dough: a root vegetable base, tapioca starch for the springy chew, and gentle boiling rather than frying. In other words, the same base can be used to make abacus seeds at home. It gives you the soft, bouncy texture that makes suan pan zi special.

If you want to understand why this texture is so prized, our explainer on what QQ texture really means breaks down how tapioca starch creates that bounce, and what sweet potato balls are covers the ingredients we use.

Sweet bowl or savoury wok: the same dough, two meals

Most people know QQ balls as a comforting dessert in warm green bean soup. Abacus seeds show the other side of the same dough:

• Sweet: the classic bowl, served warm or cold, in green bean soup.
• Savoury: shaped into small dented discs, boiled, then stir-fried with mushrooms, dried shrimp and minced pork for a festive Hakka plate.

Many families do both at a reunion meal, one savoury dish for the table and a sweet bowl to finish.

How to Make an Abacus Seed Meal With QQ Dough at Home

Our QQ bowls start from the same base as abacus seeds: mashed root vegetable bound with tapioca starch. So if you make sweet potato balls at home, or follow our QQ method, you can use that dough to cook a traditional abacus seed meal. The method below follows WoonHeng Chia's Hakka taro abacus seeds recipe (2020), which uses 250g taro and 125g tapioca starch for 3 servings. Her recipe is written for taro; she notes that sweet potato also works and gives something like sweet potato gnocchi, with similar flavour.

Make the dough

1. Boil the taro (or sweet potato) in just enough water until tender, then drain well. Too much water dilutes the flavour.
2. Mash while hot, add a pinch of salt and some white pepper, then add the tapioca starch gradually and knead into a soft dough.
3. If the dough is dry and the shaped pieces break apart, add a little water and knead again, or wet your hands before shaping.

Shape and boil the seeds

1. Pinch off about 1 teaspoon of dough and roll it into a ball.
2. Press your thumb into the middle to make a dent, like an abacus bead. Keep the shaped pieces covered so they do not dry out.
3. Boil until they float to the surface, then strain into cold water.
4. Drain, place on a plate and rub with a little oil so they do not stick. You can keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat them in boiling water before stir-frying.

Stir-fry

1. Saute shallots until translucent, then add sliced mushrooms until fragrant.
2. Push them aside and fry mashed firm tofu until golden brown.
3. Add wood ear, garlic, the white parts of spring onion, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and a little stock or water. Boil for 30 seconds.
4. Toss in the seeds, taste and adjust, and season with white pepper.
5. Garnish with spring onion greens and cilantro.

Tips from the recipe

• More tapioca means chewier, but less flavour. Use just enough starch to bind a soft ball.
• Sweet potato is softer and more gnocchi-like than taro. Add the starch gradually and judge by feel.
• Many Singapore versions add minced pork, dried shrimp or dried cuttlefish; see the Singapore Women's Weekly recipe.

Want to practise the dough first? Our taro balls recipe and QQ texture recipe tips cover the yam-and-tapioca ratio and kneading.

A Festive Dish for Chinese New Year and Family Reunions

Abacus seeds are a natural fit for reunion tables because of their auspicious meaning. If you are planning a festive spread, they sit nicely beside other traditional favourites. Our guide to Chinese New Year desserts in Singapore covers the sweet side of the table, and traditional Singapore dessert traditions explains why these foods are passed down.

Hosting a bigger group? Take a look at our corporate dessert catering guide and our bulk order page for larger gatherings.

Not Up for Making It From Scratch?

At Ah Ma QQ Bowl, every batch of handmade sweet potato balls is made in our Hougang home kitchen, boiled soft and chewy and never fried. Our classic QQ bowl is served in warm green bean soup. See what is available on our products page, or read how to order sweet potato balls in Singapore.

Final Thoughts

Abacus seeds are proof that the humble yam and tapioca combination can do more than one thing. Whether you like it sweet in soup or savoury from the wok, that soft, bouncy QQ bite is what people remember. Try it for your next reunion meal and let the family count their blessings, one seed at a time.

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Sources & References

1. WoonHeng Chia - Hakka Taro (Yam) Abacus Seeds - Method reference: dough ratio, shaping, boiling and stir-fry.
2. Wikipedia - Abacus seeds - Overview of the Hakka dish, its ingredients and festive meaning.
3. The Singapore Women's Weekly - Suan Pan Zi (Abacus Seed) - Yam, tapioca starch and hot water dough and shaping method.
4. Ah Ma QQ Bowl - Handmade sweet potato balls from our Hougang home kitchen.