Fish balls must be "fresh, tender and elastic" if they are to be eaten well. However, in the actual production process, many people find it difficult to do so that the fish balls made are not very delicious.
So what can fish balls do to make fresh and elastic fish balls? Today, the chef who has been cooking for 20 years will uncover this answer for you.
The first trick: choose fresh fish. What kind of fish is used to make fish balls is directly related to the freshness, elasticity and smoothness of the fish balls. Generally, live fish with less thorns and more meat should be selected, such as grass carp, Spanish mackerel, silver carp, Longli fish and so on.
Tip: Grass carp is the first choice for making fish balls, because grass carp is relatively fat and has the least fishbone, which is especially suitable for making fish balls. Fish must be fresh, because the fresher, the more elastic and smooth the fish balls are. Never use fish frozen in the refrigerator as fish balls. In addition, don't rinse the fish during processing, otherwise it will become hard easily.
The second measure: add egg white and starch. Add egg white to make the fish balls soft, and add a proper amount of egg white when making fish balls, so that the fish balls will be smooth and tender. Generally, 2 egg whites are added according to the ratio of 1 kg of fish. Potato starch makes fish balls chewy and elastic, so add some potato starch.
The third measure: fully stir. When fish is mixed with starch and egg white, it should be fully stirred. The advantage of this is to make the fish balls more elastic. When stirring, add water several times and beat in one direction to make the fish "strong". Because the fish is draught, the mashed fish is tender and not firewood.
Tip: You can add a proper amount of minced pork or lard to the ingredients to enhance flavor. It is not advisable to add too much salt when making fish balls, otherwise it will be stale. Generally don't put too much seasoning, just add some pepper and Jiang Mo to remove the fishy smell. Cooking wine and chicken essence are generally put less or not, otherwise it will destroy the original flavor of fish.
The fourth measure: pay attention to simmering with a small fire. Fish balls must not be cooked with high fire, and the fish balls stewed with low fire are more tender and palatable.
The following describes the complete production process of fish balls:
Ingredients: 500g fish, 60 g pork belly, 2 tablespoons starch, 5 g salt, 2 egg whites, a little pepper and Jiang Mo, 500ml water.
The manufacturing method and steps are as follows:
Step 1: Dice the fish and pork belly separately, and chop them into pieces with the back of a knife (the meatballs made in this way are very elastic and slippery). When chopping, add less water, add salt to a bowl and stir in one direction.
Step 2: Add pepper, egg white in turn, and slowly add water, constantly stirring, and then add ginger paste and water starch to stir.
Step 3: add water to the pot and bring it to a boil. Squeeze out the shape of the meatballs with the "tiger's mouth" of your hand and put the fish balls into the pot with a spoon. Remember to dip the spoon in water every time, boil it over medium heat, then simmer it over low heat until the meatballs float, take it out and enjoy.