Ingredients (makes 60-80 pcs)200g yellowtail (黄尾魚) fish meat
150ml water
1 tbsp egg white
1/2 tsp msg
1 tbsp salt
Fillings
Sichuan preserved mustard (optional)
Mushrooms (soaked)
Pork belly (blanched)
Chilli (deseeded)
Spring onion
Carrots
Steps
1. Cut all the filling ingredients to about 5cm length and the thickness of a matchstick (except for pork belly which maybe a bit thicker), set aside.
2. Chop off the head of the fish and fillet the 2 sides. Use a spoon to scrap off fish meat from the bones then rest the fillet on the skin side and scrap the fish meat as well.
3. Blend the fish meat and water together to form a smooth paste. Its ready when the fish paste pressed between two fingers feels 'bouncy'.
4. Transfer the fish paste to a large metal baking pan, add egg white, msg and salt then mix well with hand.
5. After it is well combined, the paste will thickened. Then grab as much fish paste on the hand and throw hard onto the baking pan, repeat process no less than 50 times (the more the merrier, this act makes the fish paste more 'bouncy' ie 'QQ').
6. Put the fish paste into a piping mould and slowly pipe the paste onto a clean cutting board (with the lines facing up). Pipe each piece to be about 12 cm long. If don't have piping mould, spread thin layers (about 0.2 cm thickness) of fish paste into cutting board, smoothen the surface with a wet spoon back, then make lines using a striated rolling pin or fork, then cut to length. Cut the strip to be 3.5cm x 12cm if using second method by running a knife on the fish paste.
7. Use a knife to scrap the fish paste gingerly from the cutting board and place it on your wet palm with the lines facing the palm. When scraping, the strip will be 'compacted' hence has to cut at a broader 3.5cm initially.
8. Place all or different combination of the fillings onto the fish paste strip, about 2cm away from the starting end.
9. Wet your other fingers before folding the fish paste strip, make a 1.5 roll, ie overlap by another 50% more to prevent the strip from opening up, cut excess off from the strip using a knife. The excess is to be combined with the rest of the fish paste and used again.
10. Place the completed fish rolls onto plastic containers line with plastic bags for easy lifting subsequently. Repeat steps 6-9 till all the fish paste are done. Do not touch or adjust any of them after placement in the container as they will break.
11. Rest the fish rolls in room temperature for 2 hours then store in fridge for another 2 hours or when ready to cook.
12. When ready to cook in your desired style, transfer the fish rolls gingerly into the pot/pan, takes about 8-10mins to be cooked.
13. Bon appetit!
Notes
1. Another fish to use is smooth wolf herring (西刀魚), buy smaller size fish preferably about 3 fishes for a kg combined.
2. Different fish used will yield different texture.
3. If buy ready fish paste from market/supermarket, can start at step 6 but be ready for different result (I have yet to try).
4. To cook the fish rolls within 3 days.