Chili Paste with Fermented Soy Bean Chicken and Mixed Mushroom Fish Balls (湖南豆豉辣椒菇魚蛋雞, Wu4 Naam4 Dau6 Si6 Laat6 Ziu1 Gu1 Jyu4 Daan6 Gai1)

Using seafood and meat in a dish is a classic combination in Chinese cooking. In this case chicken is used as the meat and mixed mushroom fish balls are the seafood in a mildly spicy sauce. The more unusual ingredient in this recipe is the mixed mushroom fish balls. Fish balls are a fairly common ingredient in Chinese cooking and is used mainly in hot pots and soups, but can also be stir fried. When stir fried, fish balls are easier to cook and eat when cut in half. Fish balls, which mainly consist of ground fish, can be found in the refrigerated or frozen section of your local Asian market, and come in many varieties (i.e. the type of fish used). Mixed mushroom fish balls have bits of mushroom mixed in with the ground fish. If you’re lucky enough to have your local Asian market sell fish balls already thawed in the refrigerated section, all you have to do to use them is to cut them in half before stir frying. If mixed mushroom fish balls are not available, any other fish ball can be substituted.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

¾ lb.	375 g.	Mixed mushroom fish balls (菇魚蛋, gu1 jyu4 daan6), cut in half
¾ lb.	375 g.	Chicken thigh or breast meat (雞肉, gai1 juk6), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Baking soda (蘇打粉, sou1 daa2 fan2)
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
1 lb.	500 g.	Snow peas (荷蘭豆, ho4 laan4 dau6)
10	10	Dried Shiitake mushrooms (冬菇, dung1 gu1), rehydrated and cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
		Oil for cooking

 

Sauce Ingredients

2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Fu Chi Foods brand chili paste with fermented soy bean (湖南豆豉辣椒, wu4 naam4 dau6 si6 laat6 ziu1) or equivalent
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
2 tsp.	10 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
4 tsp.	20 ml.	Water

 

Equipment

		Garlic press
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

 

Fu Chi Foods Brand
Chili Paste with Fermented Soy Bean
(湖南豆豉辣椒,
wu4 naam4 dau6 si6 laat6 ziu1)

Preparation Instructions

1. If using frozen mixed mushroom fish balls, thaw in a covered container overnight in the refrigerator. Take the fish balls out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking and cut into halves. If mixed mushroom fish balls are not available, any other fish ball can be substituted.
2. Pour boiling water over the dried Shiitake mushrooms in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate the mushrooms for at least one hour.
3. Prepare the chicken thigh or breast meat by removing any skin or bones, and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces. Wet with water and add baking soda to the chicken, allow to tenderize for 15 minutes, and then wash the baking soda from the meat. The baking soda can be omitted but results in the tender meat experienced in restaurant dishes.
4. Marinate the chicken in a covered container for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator with the ginger and garlic crushed in a garlic press, corn starch, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. If marinating the chicken overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
5. Remove the Shiitake mushrooms from the rehydration liquid, remove the stems, and cut them into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces. Reserve the rehydration liquid for later use in the cooking process.
6. Wash and remove the string from the snow peas by grasping each snow pea in one hand and pulling the string the length of the snow pea with the other.
7. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
8. Wash and cut the green onions into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces.
9. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the Fu Chi Foods brand chili paste with fermented soy bean or equivalent, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. In another small bowl, prepare the corn starch slurry by mixing the corn starch and water together.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat a wok or pan over high heat before adding oil and then the fish balls. Stir fry the fish balls until brown by placing the flat side of the fish balls in the wok and leaving the fish balls alone for a while before flipping it over to brown the round side. You may have to stir fry the fish balls in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Transfer the fish balls to a bowl.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil. Add the chicken pieces to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and brown the outside. You may have to cook the chicken in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Transfer the chicken to the bowl with the fish balls.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the Shiitake mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms and then transfer them to the bowl with the fish balls.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the snow peas. Stir fry the snow peas to brown them. Add the bowl with the ginger and garlic, and then some oil to the mixture. Quickly stir fry all the ingredients until the ginger and garlic become fragrant. Add the green onions and the contents of the bowl with the fish balls back into the wok, and stir fry all the ingredients together.
5. Add the sauce ingredients to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together. If more sauce is desired, add some of the mushroom rehydration liquid to the wok. Add the corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce and mix all the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish and serve with steamed rice.