How to Make Fish Balls

Fish ball is very popular street food snack that is best served with a sweet and spicy sauce. Basic ingredients for making fish ball are fish meat mixed with chopped vegetables, spices, beaten eggs and cornstarch. Fish ball offered with three kinds of dipping sauces: spicy (white/orange coloured) – vinegar, water, diced onions and garlic; sweet (brown gravy coloured) – corn starch, banana ketchup, sugar and salt; and sweet/sour (amber or deeper orange coloured) – the sweet variety with lots of small hot chilis added.

Here’s the recipe on how to make Fish Balls

Ingredients:

1 kilo fish (lapu-lapu, talakitok, apahap, maya-maya, or carp)
2 carrots
2 potatoes
1 head garlic
2 eggs
3/4-1 1/4 cups cornstarch
ginger, pepper, salt,
MSG (vetsin) and soy sauce

Utensils:

Kitchen knife
Chopping board
Measuring cups
Strainer
Ladle
Frying pan
Kettle
Stove
Jars/bottles

Procedure:

1. Boil fish for 3-5 minutes in water with ginger.
2. Strain and put in a container. Remove the heads entrails, skin and bones. Flake the fish
3. Peel and chop the carrots, onions, garlic and potatoes. Mix and combine with the fish flakes
4. Grind. Add the eggs, salt, pepper, MSG (vetsin) and cornstarch.
5. Mash and form into balls.
6. Boil fish stock. Drop fish ball one by one into the boiling fish stock. Drain
7. Deep fry in hot oil.
8. Store in sterilized bottles, add 2% brine solution (1 tsp salt for every 4 cups water)
9. Cover and boil for 1 1/2 hours
10. Store for 12 days

Source: UNLAD, NSDB Appropriate Technology Series No 2