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1
Put the rice flour in a medium bowl and 'divide' into quarters (use your fingers to mark the flour into 4 quarters).
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2
Take out 1/4 of the rice flour and mix it with ~1/3 c water - enough that it comes together but is still very sticky. Set aside.
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3
In a saucepan, combine ~1 c water with the 2 sticks of brown candy. Boil until dissolved completely.
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4
Using your fingers, pull the sticky dough into little strips and poach them in the dissolved sugar water. Cook them for 5 - 7 minutes.
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5
Meanwhile, add 1 tsp granulated sugar to the remaining rice flour and stir to combine.
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6
Add the cooked and sugared dough to the dry ingredients and use your hands to combine. Add the remaining sugar syrup to bring the dough together. If you think you're going to need more water, add water to the syrup and mix it lightly before continuing to add it to the dough (make sure you're not adding plain water to the dough).
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7
The resulting dough should be fairly dry but pliable. You can add a little water if it's too dry. Cover with a moist towel for the rest of the steps.
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8
Shape the dough.
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9
Take a small ball of dough and shape it into a little bowl.
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10
Try hard to keep the thickness of the dough consistent.
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11
Gather the sides of the bowl to create a purse or balloon shape. Blow into it and pinch it shut immediately. Remove the excess dough.
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12
Fry the ball in hot oil until golden brown. You can push the ball down into the hot oil (which will make it look like it's deflating), but it will re-inflate unless you puncture the dough. Turn frequently - you should be able to tell which side of your balloon has thicker walls, because the ball will try to settle in the oil onto that side. You have to keep turning it or basting it with hot oil.
