If you’ve ever walked along the streets of Hong Kong smelling the delicious smells of street food stalls hawking everything from seafood, to noodles, to Hong Kong egg tarts, you’ve undoubtedly seen these Hong Kong-style Curry Fish Balls. Fish balls of all kinds bob around in metal steam-heated trays of deliciously rich yellow and red curry sauces.
…Unfortunatelyyy, I’ve never been one of those people. I’ve been meaning to make it out to Hong Kong for some time now, and now that we’ve criss-crossed mainland China, hopefully my turn to taste a delicious fresh curry fish ball in the middle of a Hong Kong street with people streaming past isn’t far off.
But my mother is one of those lucky people that has fond memories of eating fish ball skewers on the street and served as official taste tester.
One thing to note is that the curry sauce in this recipe is purposefully thick and delicious. More so than what you might find with the versions sold by crinkly old ladies in visors and plastic gloves. My philosophy is: you want a fish ball curry rather than a curried fish ball. You can even enjoy the sauce spooned over some white rice or plain noodles to go with these! But if you want a thinner sauce, you can omit the flour and the roux-making portion of the recipe.
Let’s start!
Hong Kong Curry Fish Balls: Recipe Instructions
Add two tablespoons of oil to a shallow pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the shallots until they start to caramelize.
Add the flour and stir thoroughly to combine, cooking for a minute or so.
Make a space in the center of the pan, and add the last tablespoon of oil and the Thai yellow curry paste. Fry until fragrant.
Next, add the chicken stock and stir thoroughly, breaking up the curry and the roux. Bring to a boil and let thicken.
Add the coconut milk, curry powder, soy sauce, white pepper and black pepper, the sugar…
And finally, the fish balls.
Simmer for 10 minutes until the curry sauce thickens and the fish balls are warmed through.
Serve your curry fish balls immediately in the pan or on skewers. You can also eat these with a bowl of plain rice or noodles!
Hong Kong Curry Fishballs
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)
- 5 shallots (minced)
- 1½ tablespoons flour
- 2 ounces Thai yellow curry paste (about 2 tablespoons, 57g)
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/3 cup coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons curry powder
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 2 packs Asian fried fish balls
Instructions
- Add two tablespoons of oil to a shallow pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the shallots until they start to caramelize. Add the flour and stir thoroughly to combine, cooking for a minute or so. Make a space in the center of the pan, and add the last tablespoon of oil and the curry paste. Fry until fragrant.
- Next, add the chicken stock and stir thoroughly, breaking up the curry and the roux. Bring to a boil and let thicken. Add the coconut milk, curry powder, soy sauce, white and black peppers, the sugar, and finally, the fish balls.
- Simmer for 10 minutes until the curry sauce thickens and the fish balls are warmed through.
- Serve immediately in the pan or on skewers. You can also eat these with a bowl of plain rice or noodles!
nutrition facts
