This is how I make my fish paste or fish cake whenever I wanted to make stuffed tofu. The stuffed tofu or "yong tofu" is a very famous Hakka dish, which I learnt from my father in law. I never is a good cook before I got married and I seldom cook as well cause need to work. But after married, I need to cook often whenever going to my parents in law place. So from there, I started my cooking journey. And thanks to my father in law for this, otherwise, hubby won't be able to taste his traditional dish anymore. Please read on for more.
Ingredients :
1 kg of ikan tenggiri or Spanish mackerel (with spots)
(1-1/2 tspn salt & 1 tspn pepper)
2/3 TB salt
1 TB ginger juice / shaoxing wine
1-1/3 TB wheat starch
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup ice cube, crushed
Method :
(1) Slice side of the fish then scrap the flesh off, and place meat to a big mixing bowl. Then mix together water, salt and ginger juice.
(2) by using a stone mortar handle, pound the meat till well blend. It will takes a few minutes.
(3) when its ready, add in the seasoning salt, pepper & wheat starch and continue pounding to get everything well blend and cooperated.
(4) at this stage, the blender meat will look something like this as picture shown the above. The texture is quite sticky though.
(5) add in handful of crushed ice cube and continue pounding and blending the meat till ice cube completely melted. This will helps to keep the freshness of the paste.
(6) now, add in salted water mixture or ginger juice and more pounding & blending need to be done. You may replace mortar handle to a plastic paddle, which is more convenient at this stage. Keep on adding in the mixture gradually till fish paste hold together and became a little bouncy.
(7) at this stage, fish paste will look more shinny and less sticky.
(8) now, this is the right timing to start throwing the fish paste from certain height and back it goes to the bowl again. (keep your hand wet with salted water mixture)
(9) at this stage, add in salted water mixture gradually till everything well blended.
(10) after a number of time throwing action, you can feel fish paste became more firm and bouncy, and shinny too.
The fish paste has finally ready for cooking.
