Grandma’s Yummy Fried Pork Balls

The mention of Fried Pork Balls (soh bak ngee in Hokkien) and my eyes will lit up! This is yet another recipe from my beloved grandma which she learned from her mom. It’s one of my all-time favorites comfort food. Vaguely remember eating ’em during kiddo times but I had abundance during my teens. Haha, I’ll be munching the yummy pork balls on weekends since that’s when grandma come visit us.

Tempting? 😛

Let’s cook!

Peel shallots, garlic and carrots.

Soak 3 mushrooms. Once soften, remove stem.

Grandma’s method of mincing mushroom, carrot, garlic and shallots is by using a knife. That’s hard work and take lots of time. If you have a food grinder/chopper, use it to save time (like me! Haha). It’s a little fine compared to using a knife but it still tastes the same. 🙂

Place minced pork in a large deep container. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper (plenty), salt and heaping teaspoons of cornflour.

Mix everything by hand until combine.

Next, add minced mushroom, shallots, garlic and carrots.

Grandma took over at this stage. She showed me how to ‘really’ mix it.

Again use your hand to mix until combine. While mixing, press your hand close (grip your hand) so that all the ingredients will bind together. Feel free to add more cornflour if you feel it’s too ‘loose’ (not compact).

Once done, cover the container in cling wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours for the marination to take place.

Mix and press again once remove from the fridge and it’s ready for frying.

Make a water and soy sauce mixture.

Meanwhile heat just enough oil in the wok so that half the pork ball will be covered (not to waste oil). Wok is a must. I tried using a frying pan to fried some pork balls, the end result (texture) isn’t the same. Not as yummy. LOL

Roll a pork ball of 3cm (or 4cm) in diameter. Dab pork ball with soy sauce. Then ‘slap’ the pork ball from one palm to the other about 3-5 times. Reason for doing this is to make sure the soy sauce cover the ball surface and to ensure the ball is compact before frying. Bear in mind the ball will shrink in size during frying. So it’s important not to shape the pork ball too small in size. And the compactness will make sure the ball stay in shape during frying.

Fry pork balls until golden brown.

This recipe makes about 40 pieces. You can fry half and leave the other half for next day in the fridge.

I asked grandma why not freeze it? She said “No, no. Once you freeze it, the taste will be different as there will be thawed liquid in the marinate.” So true!

YUMS!

It’s a great appetizer, snack and party finger food. 🙂
For me, I love to snack on it and also pair with rice. Dip ’em in tomato ketchup and you’ll fly to the sky! Delicious!

Grandma’s Yummy Fried Pork Balls
Makes ~40 balls

1kg minced pork
3 large Chinese mushroom, soaked with salt water
2 small carrot/1 large carrot, skin removed
5 garlic, peeled
13 shallots, peeled

3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
17 heaping teaspoons cornflour
1/4 teaspoon salt
white pepper (plenty)

1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
peanut oil (just enough to cover half the pork ball)

Method:
1. Mince mushroom, carrots, garlic and shallots with a food grinder/chopper. You can use a knife but it will take longer. Place aside.

2. Place minced pork in a large deep container.

3. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper (plenty), salt and heaping teaspoons of cornflour.

4. Mix by hand until combine.

5. Add minced mushroom, shallots, garlic and carrots.

6. Again, mix by hand until combine. While mixing, press your hand close (grip your hand) so that all the ingredients will bind together.

7. Marinate for 2-3 hours in the fridge. Best if leave overnight.

8. Mix and press again once you remove container from the fridge.

9. Make a water and soy sauce mixture.

10. Meanwhile heat just enough oil in the wok so that half the pork ball will be covered (not to waste oil). You can add oil to cover fully.

11. While the oil is heating up, roll a pork ball of 3cm (or 4cm) in diameter. Dab pork ball with soy sauce. Then ‘slap’ pork ball from one palm to the other about 3-5 times.

12. Fry until golden brown. Use a pair of chopsticks to easily turn the pork ball.

Hope you like it!