Recipe - Basic Fishballs

Fish
See instructions for
additional ingredients;
also see "Fishball Mixture"
recipes

Fishballs can be used in a variety of ways: they can be deepfried and
served with a sweetandpungent sauce, combined with stirfried vegetables,
or added to soups and redcooked dishes.

Preparing the fish: Use either fish fillets or whole fish. With the
latter, have the fish split in half and the head and big bones removed.
Then, with a spoon or blunt knife, scrape the flesh from the skin. Always
work from tail to head. (If you work the other way, the fine bones will
come loose and be difficult to separate out.)

Making the fish mixture: Follow any of the four recipes "Fishball Mixture
A", B, C or D.

Forming the fishballs: If the fish mixture is moist, take a fistful and
squeeze it through a hole made by joining thumb and index finger, to form
walnutsize balls. Or, if the mixture is of a drier consistency, shape the
fishballs between the palms of the hands. (Moisten the hands first.)

Cooking the fishballs: Bring 4 to 5 cups of water almost to a boil. Add
fishballs and cook over medium heat until done (3 to 5 minutes). The fish
liquid may be enriched with 4 beaten egg yolks and 1 teaspoon salt, stirred
in at the end of cooking, and then served with the fish. Or a fish stock
may be substituted and the fishballs cooked in it. To prepare stock, simmer
the fish head and bones in 4 to 5 cups of water for an hour. Then stir in 1
tablespoon vinegar, a few drops of sherry, and either 1 tablespoon lard or
a few drops of sesame oil.

Storing fishballs: Fisbballs cannot be stored raw, but must be parboiled
first. Plunge fishballs, a few at a time, into boiling water and cook until
they float. Drain and let cool. Place in a large bowl of cold water, cover,
and refrigerate. The fishballs will keep several days.

NOTE: Two pounds of fish fillets make about 20 fishballs.

From The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook, ISBN 0517658704. Downloaded
from Glen's MM Recipe Archive, http://www.erols.com/hosey.