Fishball Noodle Soup

"Malaysian Hawker Favourites" ISBN 0-7946-0425-0


Fishball Noodle Soup (Serves 4)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and bruised
2 cm fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
150 g ikan bilis, briefly rinsed in a sieve
1 1/2 litres water
250 g tanghoon (dried glass noodles) or 500 g kway teow (fresh flat rice noodles)
50 g bean sprouts
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons crispy fried shallots, to garnish
1 cup finely shredded lettuce, to garnish

Fishball ingredients if you want to make your own:

4 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
300 g mackerel, skinned and deboned to yield about 150 g flesh
4 teaspoons cornflour


Method:

If making homemade fishballs, combine the water, salt, pepper and cornflour in a small bowl, stirring until the salt dissolves and there are no lumps in the mixture. Pulse the fish and the cornflour mixture in a blender until it is a smooth, tacky paste.

Bring a small pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Scoop a heaped portion of the fish paste onto a teaspoon. Use another teaspoon to form the paste into a small ball roughly 2 cm across and drop it into the boiling water. Repeat with the rest of the fish paste to yield 25 to 30 fishballs. When the fishballs float to the top, remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl. Alternatively, purchase fishballs from the maket or supermarket.

To make the soup, heat the oil in a pot over medium heat and stir-fry the garlic and ginger until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the ikan bilis and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture starts to brown. Add the water and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40 to 60 minutes. Strain the soup into another pot and discard the solids.

Prepare the tanghoon by blanching in a pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes, then drain in a colander. If using fresh kway teow, blanch for 2 minutes, then drain. Blanch the bean sprouts for 30 seconds, drain and refresh under running water. Drain well.

To serve, reheat the soup, add the fishballs and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide the noodles, fishballs and beansprouts into 4 serving bowls. Ladle the soup over and garnish with the crispy fried shallots and shredded lettuce. Serve immediately with a small bowl of sliced fresh chillies in soya sauce on the side.