Cook this
The working recipe — the Market List, the Method, and where it lives or dies
I
Origin
Fuzhou, Fujian Province
II
Description
Fuzhou's most famous food: fish balls made by pounding fresh white fish (usually grass carp or silver carp) with salt and tapioca starch until the protein strands align into a bouncy, springy paste, then stuffed with a small amount of minced pork filling before being poached. The result is simultaneously a dumpling and a meatball — springy fishball exterior concealing a savoury pork centre, served in clear broth with spring onion and white pepper.
III
The Thread
—French quenelle de brochet (pounded fish dumpling)
—Japanese surimi fish cake (similar pounded fish technique)
—Vietnamese cha ca fish cake (similar fish paste technique)
IV
Flavour Context
Clean, sweet fish exterior with a savoury pork surprise at centre — the springy texture is the primary experience; clear broth provides the savoury context
Pillars V — VII
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