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Curry fish balls
Gaa lei yu daan (咖喱魚蛋): Hong Kong street-stall curry fish balls on skewers
Curry fish balls are the after-school snack of Hong Kong, sold on bamboo skewers from steaming pots at street stalls in Mong Kok and Sham Shui Po for a few dollars. Springy fish balls simmer in a thick, mildly spicy yellow curry sauce made with curry powder, coconut milk and a little satay sauce, and are eaten straight from the stick while still hot. Chef's tip: simmer the fish balls in the sauce for at least 10 minutes; they need time to soak up the curry.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the curry
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 shallotsfinely chopped
- 2 cloves garlicchopped
- 2 tbsp mild yellow curry powder
- 1 tbsp satay sauce
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- 1 ¼ cups chicken or fish stock
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp cornflourmixed with 1 tbsp water
For the fish balls
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (3)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan over a medium heat and cook 2 shallots and 2 cloves garlic for 2 minutes until soft. Stir in 2 tbsp mild yellow curry powder, 1 tbsp Malaysian or Indian curry paste and 1 tbsp satay sauce for 1 minute until fragrant.
3 minStep 2: Add ¾ cup coconut milk, 1 ¼ cups chicken or fish stock, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp light soy sauce and bring to a simmer.
3 minStep 3: Add 1 ⅛ lb white fish balls (chilled or frozen) and simmer gently for 10–12 minutes, stirring now and then, until they are heated right through (piping hot in the middle, especially if frozen) and slightly swollen.
12 minStep 4: Stir in the 1 tsp cornflour mixture and simmer for 1 minute until the sauce coats the balls thickly. A common mistake is a thin sauce; it should cling like gravy.
1 minStep 5: Thread the fish balls onto 8 bamboo skewers, 5–6 per stick, and spoon over extra sauce.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does curry fish balls take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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