Chili Paste with Fermented Soy Bean Mixed Mushroom Fish Ball and Fried Tofu (湖南豆豉辣椒油炸豆腐菇魚蛋, Wu4 Naam4 Dau6 Si6 Laat6 Ziu1 Jau4 Zaa3 Dau6 Fu6 Gu1 Jyu4 Daan6)

This recipe uses a slightly spicy chili paste with mixed mushroom fish balls and fried tofu, together with canned straw mushrooms. The fish balls and fried tofu are available pre-packaged at your local Asian market in the refrigerated section (the fish balls might be frozen). So all you have to do is open the package or open the can to use these ingredients. So making this dish is relatively simple and doesn’t require much preparation time to make.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb.	500 g.	Mixed mushroom fish balls (菇魚蛋, gu1 jyu4 daan6), cut in half
1 lb.	500 g.	Snow peas (荷蘭豆, ho4 laan4 dau6)
7.4 oz.	210 g.	One 15 oz. (425 g.) can peeled straw mushrooms (草菇, cou2 gu1), drained
8 oz.	227 g.	One package fried tofu (油炸豆腐, jau4 zaa3 dau6 fu6)
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces on the diagonal
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. Any fish ball can be used if mixed mushroom fish balls are not available at your local Asian market. Take the fish balls out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking and cut in half.
2. Open the fried tofu package and discard any liquid.
3. Wash and remove the string from the snow peas by grasping each snow pea in one hand and pulling the tip the length of the snow pea with the other.
4. Open and drain the can with the straw mushrooms, or use fresh if available (clean first). Remove as much water as possible to facilitate stir frying.
5. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
6. Wash and cut the green onions into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces on the diagonal.
7. 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. Add the fish balls to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and brown the outside. You may have to cook 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 and then the straw mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms and then transfer them to the bowl with the fish balls.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the fried tofu. Stir fry the fried tofu 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 mixture to the wok, 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 liquid (stock or water) 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.