SINGAPORE: FISHBALL NOODLES WITH FISH CAKE DUMPLINGS AND SIDES OF CHICKEN BROTH AND BLACK VINEGAR SAUCE

April 02, 2024

SINGAPORE: FISHBALL NOODLES WITH FISH CAKE DUMPLINGS AND SIDES OF CHICKEN BROTH AND BLACK VINEGAR SAUCE

Singapore is a vibrant independent city-state located on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia. Renowned for its bubbling street food scene and buoyant economy Singapore is often viewed as an urban star in Southeast Asia. Part of Singapore's success can be attributed to its strategic location along major ocean trade routes which has attracted merchants, settlers, investors and travellers from around the world for centuries.

British colonization of Singapore in 1819 played a significant role in opening the way for people from China and India to migrate to Singapore and from that melting pot Singapore has woven a unique culinary tapestry. The foundations of Singaporean food culture can be found in their Indigenous Malay cuisine. Characterised by aromatic spices such as tamarind, lemongrass and kafir lime and key ingredients like coconut milk traditional Malay dishes including rendang curry and satay remain staples in Singaporean cuisine today.

19^th century Chinese cooks brought a myriad of culinary traditions to Singapore and stir fries, dumplings in many forms, and noodle-making techniques were embraced. Around the same time Indian cooks introduced new spices like cumin, cardamom, coriander and methods for making curries that adding depth and complexity to Singapore’s food flavours.

In the 21^st Century Singapore has emerged as a global culinary destination. Hawker Centre street food markets across the island offer an amazing selection of dishes such as Hainanese Chicken Rice and Chilli Stingray and these markets sit at the heart of Singaporean food culture. The city-state has been recognised as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy and Singaporean cuisine continues to blend new flavours, traditions, and stories as it evolves.

our

SINGAPOREAN

Menu included

FISHBALL NOODLES

with

Fish Cake Dumplings

and sides of

Chicken Broth & Black Vinegar Sauce

FISHBALL NOODLES

Fishball Noodles is an iconic Singaporean dish that is popular at street food Hawker Markets where it is offered in two distinct variations: wet and dry. The wet version features springy fishballs and noodles in a flavoursome broth, whilst the dry version serves the fishballs, noodles and other treats separately to the soup. Our Q-zine recipe is for the dry version. At first glance it seems complicated but the recipe is actually quite simple and can be achieved by anyone willing to put in 3 hours of time.

There are 6 key steps for this dish:

1. Make the soup stock

2. Mix the side sauce (whilst the stock is cooking)

3. Marinate the pork (whilst the stock is cooking)

4. Prepare the garnish ingredients (whilst the stock is cooking)

5. Fry the fish cake-dumpling (whilst the stock is cooking)

6. Cook main ingredients in the soup stock

TIP: Use wooden or bamboo spoons and ladles as much as possible whilst making this dish as tools made from natural timber impart an earthy flavour that enhances the food whereas metal gives an aftertaste that is less desirable

INGREDIENTS:

Primary Ingredients:

· 1 kg Fishball: purchased at Asian supermarket (or see notes to make them)

· 2 packet Konjak Noodle – or other South East Asian noodle you prefer

· 1 cup fresh bean sprouts

· 2 fish cake-dumplings per person - purchased at Asian supermarket

Ingredients for Soup Stock:

· 1 kg chicken necks (or chicken bones if you can’t buy necks)

· 20 dried anchovies or a small tin of anchovy fillets in oil

· 2 tsp sugar

· 2 tsp salt

· 1 knob ginger, sliced (leave skin on)

· 1 cup fresh de-podded soybeans or frozen soy beans thawed

· 2 tsp sesame oil

· 4 ltr water (plus more water to keep the stock up to 2-3 ltr)

Ingredients for Side Sauce:

· 100 ml light soy sauce

· 100 ml black vinegar or use ½ balsamic ½ rice wine/apple cider vinegar

· 25 ml fish sauce

· 2 tsp sambal chilli or other chilli sauce or sliced fresh sliced chilli optional

· 1 tsp brown sugar

· 3 tsp sesame oil

· ground white pepper to taste

Ingredients for Marinated Pork:

· 500 gm pork mince

· 2 tbs soy sauce

· white pepper to taste

· 1 ½ tsp baking soda

· 1 tsp salt

· 2 tsp corn flour

· 1 ½ tsp sesame oil

Ingredients for Garnish:

· 6 small lettuce leaves per serving – washed and dried or bigger leaves torn

· 100 gm fried shallots

· 1 or 2 spring onion, sliced finely

· fresh hot chilli pepper sliced finely – or replace with diced red capsicum

METHOD:

STEP 1:

1. Start by making the Chicken stock - takes just a bit more than 2 hours

2. The Chicken stock is the heart of this recipe and whilst it is cooking you will have time to prepare the side sauce, pork, garnish and fried fish cake

3. Begin the stock by lightly heating the sesame oil in a large heavy-based pot

4. Add sliced ginger, sugar and lightly caramelise stirring often

5. Deglaze pot with a small amount of water and scape bottom of pot with a wooden/bamboo spoon to capture any crispy caramelised bits

6. Add all the other ingredients and bring to a simmer

7. Now cook the stock on simmer for 2 hours stirring occasionally and skimming off any froth that rises to the surface with a spoon

8. Add water as needed to ensure that the volume of water is 3 litres

9. After 2 hours strain the stock into a large pot and discard the bones etc

STEP 2:

1. Whilst the stock is cooking make the Side Sauce

2. Put all the ingredients in a medium sized glass jar with a tight fitting lid

3. Close the lid and give the jar a vigorous shake to mix all the ingredients together then set aside for at least 30 minutes for the flavours to infuse

4. When ready to serve shake again

STEP 3:

1. Whilst the stock is cooking marinate the Pork

2. Mix the pork mince with all the other ingredients

3. Rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes

4. You can skip this step if you don’t eat pork

STEP 4:

1. Whilst the stock is cooking prepare the Garnish ingredients

2. Put then in separate bowls to make serving easier

3. Amount of garnishes such as fresh chilli are flexible and to your taste

STEP 5:

1. Whilst the stock is cooking fry the Fishcake-dumpling

2. How you do this is flexible

3. Could be pan fried, deep fried or air fried to suit your kitchen

4. Once fried put the Fishcake-dumpling aside ready for serving

STEP 6:

1. Now we are ready to cook the main ingredients: fishball, noodle and pork

2. Bring the stock to boil and turn back to a simmer

3. Drop fishballs into the stock and simmer until cooked. You will know they are cooked when they float to the top and are bouncy to touch

4. Use a noodle ladle to scoop fishballs out and set aside in a bowl

5. Bring the stock back to the boil then turn back to simmer

6. Now add the noodles and the bean sprouts into the stock and blanch for about 45 seconds stirring them together with a spoon then scoop out the noodles and bean sprouts and set aside in a bowl

7. Bring the stock back to the boil and heat back to simmer

8. Plunge the marinated pork into the stock and use the noodle scoop to break the pork apart to prevent it ‘clumping’ together in lumps

NOTE: When the pork goes into the stock the liquid might froth a bit – don’t worry; this is just due to the baking soda in the pork marinade

9. cook the pork in the stock for a few minutes then scoop out into a side dish

TIP: You might find it hard to scoop out all the pork mince with a ladle so I suggest you pre-prepare another large pot with a colander sitting over it and pour the whole pot of stock and pork through the colander leaving pork in the colander to drain and dry and clean soup stock in the pot below

NOW BEGIN SERVING THE FISHBALL NOODLES:

1. Shake the side sauce up and pour into small individual side bowls

2. Ladle stock into individual soup bowls and garnish with spring onion slices

3. Make individual plates beginning with a scoop of noodles

4. Top the noodles with a scoop of pork and bean sprout mix

5. Decorate the side of the bowl with lettuce leaves and array fish balls and fish cake-dumplings around the plate

6. Finish by topping bowls with fried shallot, chopped spring onion and chilli

This is a Q-ZINE original recipe informed by multiple sources including:

https://delishar.com/2015/12/fishball-noodles-mee-pok-tah.html

https://sethlui.com/fishball-noodles-guide-singapore/

https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2023/02/best-of-singapore-hawkers-fishball-noodles.html

https://ieatishootipost.sg/singapore-fishball-recipe/