Recipe: Sweet and Sour Fish Balls

(Click on the image above to view the complete photoset of 7 pictures) For most Asian countries, fish ball is a very common ingredient that can be found in everyday cooking. In Malaysia, fish balls are mostly used as toppings to noodle-based or soup-based dishes (noodle soup, fried noodles) and also served in soups. Fish balls are very versatile and I often keep a packet or two of frozen fish balls in my fridge. I love cooking fish balls dishes such as curry fish balls, braised fishballs with bean curd and daikon in claypot, and sweet and sour fish balls featured above. Sweet and sour fish balls are very easy to make; I prepared mine in less than 15 minutes. It calls for very simple and easy-to-get ingredients. What I love most about the dish is that it can be a main entree that goes very well with steamed rice, but it can also be converted to a little snack--one that you can eat pretty much anytime of the day when you're hungry. Want something fancier? Sure. Find yourself some toothpicks and suddenly, they transform into some nice Asian-style hors d'oeuvres that would please your crowd at parties... While I love fish balls, I must say that not all fish balls are created equally. Some bad fish balls have strong fishy odor, others are plain "powdery" (too much flour used and not enough fish). I can't get any "Made in Malaysia" fish balls in the US, so I would always go for those Made in Thailand or Singapore. Currently, my favorite brand is Dodo fish balls from Singapore with a springy texture. To view examples of fish ball found in Malaysia, please click here. (They are just the simplest kinds; there are many other shapes and forms to choose from!) Before I share the recipe, I wanted to call you attention to Menu for Hope. I am the west coast host this year and would love for you to be a part of this charity event. Kindly read this post and send me your entry latest by tomorrow, December 7th. Thanks in advance! NEW: Rasa Malaysia Suggested Menus This sweet and sour fish balls would go well with Stir-fried Chive Buds Bean Curd Sticks and Pork Ribs Soup Indian Squid Curry (Gulai Sotong) Recipe: Sweet and Sour Fish Balls Ingredients: 10-12 fish balls 1 1/2 tablespoon tomato sauce/ketchup 1/2 teaspoon Sri Racha chili sauce (or any spicy chili sauce) 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce 1/2 teaspoon oil Sesame seeds Method: Deep fry the fish balls until they turn golden brown. Dish out and set aside. In a sauce pan, add in 1/2 teaspoon cooking oil, ketchup, chili sauce, sugar, oyster sauce and stir until the sauces are well blended. Toss in the fish balls and coat them well with the sauce. Dish out, top with sesame seeds, and serve hot.