Bouncy meatballs! My good aunt, Kheng Cher, shared this recipe with me – her secret ingredient is to add the egg (you must stir in in one directions, she says) to make the fish ball puff up during frying. The skin then collapses to a chewy bite, while the meat inside remains bouncy.

Very few people really make this at home anymore since you can buy ready-made fish paste quite easily. But there’s nothing better than making your own fish paste, and tasting the sweetness of unadulterated fish balls.

Chef’s tip: A lot of TLC is needed to make the fish ball. First, it is preferred to chop the meat with a cleaver by hand than pulsing it in a food processor so that you can slowly get to the right consistency of paste. Also, make sure to slap the fish paste to a round, shiny, blob! This is the step that determines how bouncy the ball will be.

Ingredients:
Dipping sauce:
3 Tablespoons Asian sweet chili sauce
1 Tablespoon tomato ketchup
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Meatballs:
1 ½ lb whole Spanish mackerel (yellowtail, haddock, pike, bluefish)  yielding 1 lb flesh
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 cup water
1 Tablespoon kosher salt

1 egg

3 cups canola oil

Preparing the dipping sauce
1.    Mix all dipping sauce ingredients together (chile, ketchup, garlic, ginger, lime juice, sugar and salt).  Set aside.
Preparing the meatballs
2.    Using the whole fish, starting from the tail end and working towards the head, slice off the top half of the fish flesh.  Repeat with the other side of the fish.  Using a spoon, scrape off any remaining fish meat from the bones.    Place the fish fillet, skin side down over an inverted bowl and remove any bones with a tweezer.  Place the fish fillet, still skin side down, on a cutting board and using a spoon, scrape out the fish flesh.
3.    Place the fish on a cutting board and sprinkle on 1 teaspoon salt, pepper and cornstarch.  Using the blunt side of the cleaver, chop the meat, while smashing/dragging the meat against the cutting board till it becomes a paste a shade lighter. (Or place the fish meat in a food processor and pulse about a dozen times till it becomes a paste a shade lighter)
4.    In a small bowl, mix together the water and salt.  Set aside.
5.    Transfer the meat into the bowl drop in the egg and stir in one directions to incorporate the egg.
6.    Wet your hands with the salt water and grab the fish mixture and slap the meat against the side of the bowl.  Repeat until the fish comes together and forms a shiny and firm ball.  Wet your hands continuously with the salt water as you work.
7.    Using your hands, form small golf ball 1 inch size fish balls, coating it with the salt water as you work.  Place the fish balls on a baking sheet.
Frying the fish ball
8.    In wok, heat about 2 inches of oil.  When it reaches 360°F, quickly pat dry each fish ball and drop it into the hot oil.  Fry until it becomes a golden brown and the fish ball floats on top of the oil.
9.    The fish ball will puff up during the frying but will cool and collapse when cooled.  Serve hot with the dipping sauce.

Serves: 6

Tags: Fish, Malaysian, meatballs.

Thailand’s breakfast for champions.

A comfort food, the soup makes a wonderful meal. Besides being a popular breakfast item in Thailand (hold the bacon, give me pork balls!), it is also their version of chicken soup for the days when one is under the weather.

Chef’s tip: Keep any excess garlic oil in the fridge.

Ingredients:

Garlic oil:
¼ cup canola oil
6 cloves garlic, finely minced
Meatballs:
½ lb ground pork
½ teaspoon salt
A pinch of white pepper
Soup:
6 cups chicken broth
3-4 Tablespoons fish sauce
1½ Tablespoons preserved radish, soaked, chopped
2 cups lightly packed cooked jasmine rice

¼ cup green onions, white parts only, finely chopped
¼ cup, cilantro, finely chopped
½ teaspoon ground white pepper

Preparing the garlic oil
1.    In a small pot, heat the oil and garlic and fry till the garlic is light golden brown.  Remove from heat and it will continue to cook to golden brown. Set aside.
Preparing the meatballs
2.    Mix together the meatball ingredients (pork, salt and pepper)
Preparing the soup
3.    In a large pot, bring soup ingredients (chicken stock, fish sauce, radish and rice) to boil
4.    Grab a small handful of the pork mixture and gently squeeze out a small amount of the meat between your index finger and thumb.  Using a spoon, scoop out the meatball and drop into the soup.  When all the meat is done, boil for another 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.
5.    Scatter the green onions and cilantro.  Add all the garlic oil and white pepper.

Serves: 4

Tags: meatballs, soup, Thai.

They call it Lion’s Head because the meatballs are ye big with manes of soft, tender napa cabbage…looking like a lion. Seriously, in Shanghai, the meatballs are the size of a tennis ball – let’s call that a quarter pounder meatball.

Chef’s tip: Slowly braise or steam to get a tender, melt-in-your-mouth meatballs. If you have a small claypot, braise the meatballs in the claypot and serve directly from it.

Meatballs:
1 lb ground pork
1 egg white
¼ cup green onions, white parts only, finely chopped
¼ cup waterchestnuts, drained and diced finely,1/8 inch cubes
1 Tablespoons ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tablespoons light soy sauce
½ teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

½ cup cornstarch for dusting meatballs
½ cup canola oil

Sauce:
2 cloves garlic, lightly smashed, leaving it still whole
5 slices ginger
2 cups chicken stock
1 Tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1 Tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
½ Tablespoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

1 small napa cabbage leaves, about 8 pieces, cut into 3X1 inch pieces
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch + 2 Tablespoons water (optional)

Preparing the meatballs
1.    Mix together the meatball ingredients (pork, egg white, chopped green onions, waterchestnuts, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, shaoxing wine, cornstarch, salt and pepper.) Place the mixture into the freezer and chill 5 minutes.
2.    Form meatballs by hand into 2-inch rounds. Dust lightly with cornstarch.  Set on a baking tray. You should have about 8 meatballs. (For a classic serving, the meatballs should be the size of a tennis ball, in that case, you should get 4 meatballs).
3.    Heat about ½ inch of canola oil in a large sauté pan. Brown the meatballs over medium-high heat, in batches, until golden brown on all sides.  Set aside.
Preparing the sauce
4.    Using the same pan, remove all but 2 tablespoons oil.  Heat on high, add ginger and garlic. Fry for 10 seconds.
5.    Add chicken stock and bring to a boil, then add remaining sauce ingredients (Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, sugar and salt). Pour the chicken stock mixture over the meatballs.
6.    Gently transfer the meatballs into the pan. Add more stock if needed to cover the meatballs entirely.  Cover and simmer (or steamed or baked 400°F) for 20 minutes.
7.    Scatter the cabbage on top and continue simmering for another 20 minutes.  The sauce should be reduced to half.
8.    If you prefer a thicker sauce, transfer the sauce into a small sauce pan and reduce the sauce further to a nappe consistency, or add the cornstarch and water slurry to thicken.
9.    Finish with sesame oil.

Serves: 4

Tags: Chinese, meatballs.