Hidden-Heart Fish Balls
A traditional Zhejiang signature dish, this recipe wraps minced white fish paste around a pork meatball, steams the bundle, and finishes it with a glossy starch glaze. It has a bright, translucent white appearance and a soft, fluffy texture.
Ingredients
White fish paste
750g
Cooked winter bamboo shoot slices
50g
Minced bamboo shoots
10g
Boneless pork loin (minced)
100g
Wood ear mushrooms
10g
Chinese chives (or chive sprouts)
10g
Shrimp meat (not used in the original steps)
50g
Refined salt
15g
MSG
2g
Shaoxing wine
6g
Cooked pork lard
10g
Wet starch (for thickening)
5g
Instructions
1
Prepare the meat filling
Mince the pork, place it in a bowl, add minced bamboo shoots, Shaoxing wine, refined salt, and MSG, mix well, and shape into 20 round balls about the size of longan fruits.
2
Form the fish balls
Take a separate soup dish and coat it with cooked pork lard. Pick up some fish paste, place a pork ball in the middle, and squeeze it out from the gap between your thumb and index finger to form a hidden-heart fish ball; arrange the fish balls in the soup dish.
3
Steam
Once all the fish balls are formed, steam them over a pot for 5 minutes, then remove and drain off the original liquid. Set aside.
4
Pour the sauce
Place a wok over high heat, pour in the reserved liquid, add clear broth, wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoot slices, refined salt, and Shaoxing wine, and bring to a boil. Add MSG and chive sprouts, thicken lightly with wet starch, drizzle in cooked pork lard, and pour the sauce over the fish balls. Serve immediately.
