Recipe: Fish Ball Dim Sum (Steamed Fish Balls with Bean Curd Sticks)

(Click the above to view 3 pictures. Best viewed with Internet Explorer 7.) One thing I don't like about eating dim sum in the United States is the lack of fish ball offerings. If you recall my previous posts about sweet and sour fish balls and yong tow foo, I am partial to fish ball-related foods: deep-fried, stuffed in vegetables or tofu (like Malaysian yong tow foo/酿豆腐), in soup, or steamed. Whenever I go home to Malaysia and have dim sum, I would order trays after trays of fish ball dim sum. They are usually lightly fried and then steamed. Some of them are just plain steamed fish balls and some are pan-fried and drenched in savory bean sauce. Whichever way they are prepared, fish balls found in Malaysian dim sum restaurants are springy, utterly addictive (you just want more after the first taste) and delicious. (They look like the following: the ones lurking on the right are plain steamed fish balls, but the ones to the left are lightly fried and then steamed. See the picture after the jump.) So, when I crave for fish ball dim sum, I make mine at home. They are very easy to make because I cheat with store-bought fish paste. I add some chopped garlic into the fish paste and steam them over a bed of bean curd sticks, a trick that I learned from a dim sum restaurant. These steamed fish balls are so good with chili sauce. I just can't get enough of them. Yum! ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Love the recipe? Here are more fish balls and dim sum recipes on Rasa Malaysia: Sweet and Sour Fish Balls Yong Tow Foo (Stuffed Tofu, Chili, and Okra with Fish Paste) More Yong Tow Foo Chicken Shu Mai Red Bean Paste Steamed Buns (Tau Sar Bau) ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Recipe: Fish Ball Dim Sum (Steamed Fish Balls with Bean Curd Sticks) Ingredients: 1/2 container fish paste (I used this) 2 cloves garlic (finely minced) 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil 3 dashes of white pepper powder 3 bean curd sticks A pinch of salt Some green peas (for garnishing) Method: Soak the bean curd sticks in hot water to soften them. Cut them into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Heat up a small pot of water and add in some salt. Drop the bean curd sticks into the boiling water to cook them. Remove the bean curd sticks from the water and arrange them on small dim sum plates. Defrost the frozen fish paste and add in minced garlic, sesame oil, and pepper. Blend well and form them into balls and place them on top of the beancurd sticks. Garnish with a green pea. Steamed the dim sum fish balls for 5 minutes. Serve hot immediately with chili sauce.