How to Make Fishballs (魚丸)

In case you don't know, I'm in the Philippines right now as I write this entry. Because I'm back in the Bicol provinces where the internet is very much a scarcity, this entry may not even get to my readers until I get back to Manila Anyway, I'm still very much existent and the blog is very much alive.  

Streetfood in Manila. This man is
frying some fishballs which is
what today's entry is all about.

Today's entry is dedicated to street food. What composes street food is very much dependent on what people consider cheap, readily available and most of all, palatable. It must be convenient and therefore easily transportable even readily consumable right after it's bought. And over the years what is classified as street food has changed. Sushi, for example started as street food but also a snack though it could also be a meal depending on the size. And who could have thought that caviar was once considered food of the masses for it was sturgeon meat that was prized and not the eggs. Now both are considered luxurious items although the eggs are far more expensive by weight. Thanks to overfishing and the hype of caviar being paired with the ever lovely glass of the bubbly, it's practically about two hundred dollars for a spoonful, merely an ounce of the beluga when sold at end markets like Wegman's or Agatha e Valentina.  

Sushi - streetfood?! Really?!  Yes - way back in
Imperial Japan when these were first
concocted.

And who knew that the ever humble fish
egg would become a status symbol?

Fish balls is one of the grand daddies of the street food world. Unless we are going to run out of any white meat fish soon, I really don't see how we can run out of it and the price would run amuck like what happened to sturgeon caviar. With climate change and its effects on fish migration and breeding patterns, this might one day become a reality; but for the meantime, it's one of the cheapest, tastiest and most reliable street foods money can buy. And it's versatile too. Aside being served as is, it can be served as soup when boiled in water with sauteed ginger. Likewise, it's a vital ingredient in pansit and fish or seafood congee.  

This is what fishballs look like.

This recipe teaches you how to make them. With a kilo of white fish meat, some flour and green onions and carrots, you are on your way to make this delectable snack.  

To those in my audience who cannot think of the
unthinkable - well, the above is an example of
streetfood - Barbecued Chicken Intestines
(a.k.a. IUD - as it looks like an
Intrauterine Device)

And what about Barbecued Pigs Ears?

Authentic Chinese Fishballs  

• 1 kilo white meat fish fillets  
• 1/2 cup cornstarch (or half flour half cornstarch mix)                                       
• 1 tbsp green onions finely chopped  
• 1 tbsp carrots, peeled and finely chopped  
• Salt to taste (optional) 

Procedure.  

1. Wash the fillets and set aside on a colander to drain most of the water.  Slice the fillets into small pieces. 
2. Combine all ingredients in a mixer bowl and mix using a medium speed until the fish is finely macerated and the resulting fish mixture resembles that of a stiff paste.  The beating process is important to incorporate some air into the mixture making the resultant fish balls light and airy. 
3. Oil both hands and above a ready boiling pot of water, squeeze part of the mixture with one hand as the other separates it with a small spoon dropping it in the boiling water to cook for about five minutes. 
4. Drain and store in refrigerator or freezer until further use. 
5. To fry the fishballs, simply thaw some and fry until puffed.  Whether to fry until brown or not is a matter of personal preference.  Serve with dipping sauce of either vinegar with chilies or a sweet sauce composed of soy sauce, sugar, salt, water the flour or breadcrumbs as thickening agent.