Recipe - Deep-Fried Crab Balls With Vinegar Dip

One half pound Fresh cooked crab meat
2 ounce Pork fat from loin
6 Peeled water chestnuts
1 Scallion
2 Eggs
2 tablespoon Dry sherry
1 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoon Cornstarch
One half teaspoon Minced ginger root
2 cup Deepfrying oil
VINEGAR DIP:
2 tablespoon Black Chinjiang vinegar
1 tablespoon Yellow rice vinegar
2 teaspoon Thin soy sauce
One half teaspoon Sugar

You can serve this dish hot or cold. We prefer the crab balls hot, when
their exterior is crisp and the meat hot and moist. They also go better
with the vinegar dip when hot. If you prefer to serve them cold or at room
temperature, delete the dip, or substitute something like mustard and
catsup.

Preparation: If you're using food processor, crab and pork fat should be
cold. Cut pork fat into cubes. Trim and cut scallion into 1" sections,
including greens. Using steel blade, place water chestnuts and scallion in
bowl; pulse/start to chop vegetables. Add crab meat and pork fat;
pulse/start to mince. Add eggs, sherry, salt, corn starch and minced
ginger. Pulse/start 3 or 4 times to blend. Don't overdo it; you don't want
a puree.

Deepfrying: In wok or deepfryer, heat oil until bubbles form around a
bamboo chopstick held upright in oil. Using teaspoon, form small ball of
crab mixture. Test cooking temperature; it should brown and cook through in
about 5 minutes; adjust heat if necessary. Proceed with deepfrying about 6
balls at a time; avoid crowding them. Drain on bamboo strainer or towel. If
you can't serve them immediately, refry briefly to crisp skin. Avoid
overcooking.

Vinegar dip: Mix ingredients in a shallow bowl; place on serving platter
and surround with crab balls.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini