CHINESE COOKING: Your family would be delighted with this recipe of shrimp balls. Please try it.

DEEP-FRIED SHRIMP BALLS炸蝦圓:

 

 

 

400 gm. pkg shrimp                                                        

2 oz. ground pork

1/2 to 1 pkg store-bought wonton wrappers

seasoning:

    1 egg whites                                                

    1 tbsp. rice wine or dry sherry

    3/4 to 1  tsp. salt                                                   

    ½ to 1 tsp. sugar

    ½ tsp. white pepper                                     

    dash of sesame oil

    1- 11/2 tbsp. tapioca starch

sweet & sour sauce:

 

    2 pieces of Chinese "brick" 片糖 sugar

    4 pieces of "haw" flakes 山渣片, available at Chinese herb store or supermarket

    2 tbsp. tomato ketchup

    1/2 cup of a combination of white vinegar & pineapple juice from canned pineapple

    1/2 tsp salt

    1-2 tsp. tapioca starch mixed with a bit of cold water

cooking oil for deep-frying

 

 

Rinse, shell and de-vein shrimp. Wrap with double thickness of paper towels and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

 

Make sauce by melting brick sugar & haw flakes in the vinegar & fruit juice solution over low heat. When mixture comes to the boil, taste and adjust sweet and sourness, adding a bit more sugar or water for taste. Add in starch solution and cook for a couple of minutes until sauce is thickened to desired consistency. Strain sauce & keep warm.

 

Mince shrimp by chopping with a large cleaver or in a food processor fitted with steel blade. Transfer shrimp paste to a large bowl. Add in ground pork and seasoning ingredients. Use a pair of chop sticks to mix ingredients together, stirring in one direction only. Use your hand to scoop up shrimp mixture; then throw it back down into the bowl. Repeat this scooping and throwing process about 10 times. The purpose is to make shrimp paste more elastic to have more “bite” on eating. Form shrimp paste into small balls. Separate wonton wrappers and cut each into thin short strips. Transfer to baking sheet; keeping strips separated. Wrap baking tray with plastic wrap.  

 

In wok or large saucepan, heat enough oil for deep-frying over high heat until very hot. Form shrimp paste into small balls and attach as many strips of wonton wrappers to each ball as desired. Drop shrimp balls carefully into hot oil. Deep-fry over medium-high heat until shrimp balls float to the surface and are golden brown in colour.  Drain on paper towers and serve right away.