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1
Steam and Mash the Sweet Potatoes
15 Mins
Steaming 100°C (212°F)
Put the sweet-potato chunks in a steamer over boiling water and steam for 15 minutes until they crush easily with a fork. Tip into a bowl and mash while still hot until completely smooth, with no lumps — lumps make the dough crack when you shape it. Leave to cool for 5 minutes until you can handle it.
Mash while the sweet potato is hot; cold sweet potato turns gluey and needs far more flour, which makes the rings heavy.
Done when: A smooth, lump-free mash that holds a spoon upright.
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2
Knead the No-Yeast Dough
10 Mins
Room temperature, ~20°C (68°F)
Add the plain flour and the salt to the cooled mashed sweet potato. Knead gently with your hands for 3–4 minutes until you have a soft, smooth dough that does not stick to your fingers. This is the classic form — no yeast, no egg, no milk and no baking powder — so the rings stay soft and bouncy from the sweet potato itself, not from a raising agent. If the dough is sticky, dust in a little more flour, a spoonful at a time — too much flour makes the rings tough.
Knead lightly and briefly: overworked sweet-potato dough turns dense. Stop as soon as it comes together.
Done when: A soft, smooth dough that leaves your hands clean.
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3
Shape the Rings
10 Mins
Room temperature, ~20°C (68°F)
Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, about 65 g each. Roll each piece into a rope about 12 cm long, join the ends and pinch firmly to close the ring — or roll it into a ball, flatten it in your palm and push a floured finger through the middle, widening the hole to about 2 cm. Keep your hands lightly floured from the measured flour so the dough does not stick.
Make the hole generous — it shrinks as the ring puffs in the hot oil.
Done when: Neat rings with a clear hole and no cracks.
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4
Deep-Fry Until Golden
10 Mins
Oil 170°C (340°F)
Heat the deep-frying oil to 170°C (340°F) — a scrap of dough should sizzle and rise at once. Lower the rings in, 4 at a time, and fry for 4–5 minutes, turning once, until deep golden all over. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper. Let the oil come back to 170°C (340°F) between batches.
Fry in small batches so the oil stays hot — cold oil soaks in and the rings turn greasy instead of crisp.
Done when: Deep golden, crisp outside, and hot right through.
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5
Crystallise the Sugar Coat
10 Mins
Syrup about 115°C (239°F)
Put the sugar and water in a wide pan and bring to a boil over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then simmer until it thickens into a clear syrup with small bubbles. Lower the heat, add the fried rings and toss them gently in the syrup. Keep tossing, off the heat if needed, until the syrup turns whitish and dries into a white, flaky, crystallised coat on every ring.
Do not stop too early: the coat looks wet at first, then turns white and dry as you keep tossing — that is the sugar crystallising, and it is the whole point of keria.
Done when: A dry, white, flaky sugar coat that no longer feels wet.
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6
Cool Briefly and Serve Warm
5 Mins
Room temperature, ~20°C (68°F)
Spread the coated rings on a plate in a single layer and leave them for 5 minutes so the sugar coat sets fully crisp. One serving is three rings, about 230 g — eat them warm, with your fingers, as they do at the market stalls.
Keria is best within a few hours — the sugar coat softens as it sits, so coat the rings just before serving if you can.
Done when: Warm rings with a dry, crunchy sugar shell.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the rings warm, three to a plate, with a glass of teh tarik — crisp sugary outside, soft and sweet-potatoey inside, best eaten with your fingers while the coat is still crunchy.
Malaysia
1h 10m
