Mum’s Bouncing Fish Balls

Recipe

By David Tan Sek Yin

Ingredients

Preparation

1. Finely blend fish flesh with a blender.
2. Fill a large bowl with water enough to cover fish balls. Set aside.

Method

1. Put the blended fish into a large mixing bowl. Gradually add in water while mixing and folding the fish. When all the water has been added, it should look slimy.
2. Add in the salt and then whip the mixture vigorously until it becomes a soft dough. Turn and throw the dough up and down for about 5 minutes until it becomes bouncy and firm.
3. Squeeze the dough into small balls and put them into the water prepared before, keep it in the fridge overnight.
4. You can either change the water every hour for 4 hours, or change the water only once in 8 hours.
5. After 4 or 8 hours, cook the fish balls in boiling water until they float to the surface. Turn off heat.
6. Pile fish balls on a plate, sprinkle with deep-fried shallots and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve.

Notes

1. The recipe only works for tofu (Milled Yellow Tail) fish.
2. The amount of water and salt should be calculated according to the weight of fish. Follow the formula below:
   The amount of fish (after blended) = X
   The amount of water needed = X/580 x 350
   The amount of salt needed = X/580 x 40
3. The freshness of the fish plays an important role in this recipe. While selecting fish, take a look at the eyes and gills. The eyes should be shiny and bright, while the gills should be bright red.
4. Do not overload the blender with fish, if not the blending process will not be effective. Do not blend the fish for too long, if not the heat produced will degrade the freshness of the fish. The blended fish is done as soon as a rotating ball is formed during the blending process.
5. This fish ball serves well with noodles or steamboat.