Braised Fish Balls with Straw Mushrooms
Mushroom-braised fish balls are wonderfully fresh and savory. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, fish balls are often made in larger batches to enjoy in soups, braised dishes, or hot pot.
Ingredients:
- Grass carp fish balls, as needed
- Straw mushrooms, as needed
- Carrots, as needed
Seasonings:
- 1/2 egg white
- Ginger, as needed
- Scallions, as needed
- Braising sauce, to taste
- Cornstarch, as needed
- Fine salt, as needed
- Cooking oil, as needed
Ingredients
fish balls
as needed
straw mushrooms
as needed
carrot
as needed
egg white
half
ginger
as needed
scallion
as needed
braising sauce
a little
cornstarch
as needed
fine salt
as needed
cooking oil
as needed
Instructions
1
Step 1
Cut the prepared fish meat into small pieces, about 600g.
2
Step 2
Add ginger slices, scallion segments, the fish meat, and an appropriate amount of water into a blender and blend into a paste. Add just enough water to keep the fish paste moving.
3
Step 3
Continue blending the fish paste. Add 20g cornstarch, the egg white, and about 200g of water in stages while blending, adding more according to how well it is absorbed. Wait until each addition is absorbed before adding the next. Keep your fingers pointed down and curved, and blend in a clockwise direction. Finally, add about 10–12g of fine salt and blend until evenly combined and the paste develops elasticity. When the paste becomes elastic, it will be harder to move and there will be slight resistance. Add the salt at the very end.
4
Step 4
Take a handful of fish paste in your right hand and squeeze it out through the web between your thumb and index finger. Then use a spoon to scrape it off and drop it into a pot of cold water. If the squeezed fish balls don't hold their shape, keep blending the fish paste — when it's ready, a chopstick stuck into the paste will stand upright.
5
Step 5
Once all the fish balls are in, turn on the heat. Cook them gently over medium-low heat, keeping the water at a light simmer. Once they float to the surface, scoop them out. The finished fish balls can be used in soup, or braised with straw mushrooms for an even more flavorful, fresh, and delicious dish that goes wonderfully with rice.
6
Step 6
The finished fish balls can also be used in hot pot or to cook noodles.
7
Step 7
Once the fish balls are ready, prepare the other two ingredients. Cut the straw mushrooms into small pieces. Slice the carrot into thin pieces.
8
Step 8
You can blanch them first or add them straight into the wok to stir-fry.
9
Step 9
Add oil to the wok, sauté the ginger and scallions until fragrant, add the straw mushrooms and carrot and stir-fry, then add the fish balls along with an appropriate amount of water and braising sauce. Cover and simmer for 2–3 minutes.
10
Step 10
Add a little fine salt, then drizzle in an appropriate amount of cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. Sprinkle with chopped scallions and plate up. Fragrant and full-flavored — tender, silky-smooth, and a dish you won't forget after just one bite.
11
Step 11
Absolutely delicious.
