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    Cook With Dana » Recipes » Recipes

    Published: May 6, 2022 · Modified: Aug 22, 2023 by Dana · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

    Hong Kong Curry Fish Balls (咖喱魚蛋)

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    When you walk down the streets of Hong Kong, you will find many different street foods! The one that stands out the most are Hong Kong Curry Fish Balls! You will see a large steel cart filled with curry and different types of meats (mostly fish balls). The lady (or man) at the cart scoops a big heaping of the sauce and fish balls in a large cup. They also give you some skewer sticks to eat the fish balls!

    This dish is all about the sauce. I can’t say this is an authentic recipe, but it sure is delicious and reminds me of the one my dad makes. My secret ingredient is pear! It provides a nice sweetness and balances out the curry flavor 😉 The curries that we make in our Cantonese home is not too spicy and is on the sweeter side. Please keep in mind, this dish may differ from Indian or Thai curry flavors.

    Don’t Throw Away The Sauce

    After you’re done eating the fish balls, don’t throw away the sauce! Heat the sauce in a pot until boiling. If its really thick, you can add a little bit of water. You can add some potatoes, carrots and chicken for another quick curry meal. Or simply add more fish balls ◡̈

    INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR YOUR CURRY FISH BALLS:

    Saute:

    • onion, sliced
    • garlic, chopped
    • avocado oil (any neutral oil will work!)
    • salt
    • ketchup
    • cooking wine (shaoxing cooking wine) or sake

    Blend:

    • Sauteed ingredients (onion mixture)
    • pear
    • water

    Boil:

    • water
    • bay leaves
    • star anise
    • cinnamon bark
    • blended mixture
    • curry powder
    • chicken bouillon
    • salt
    • black pepper
    • fish balls
    • butter
    • chili oil
    • sugar
    • soy sauce
    • heavy cream or coconut cream (optional)

    STEPS TO MAKE THE CURRY FISH BALLS:

    1. Slice 1 onion and chop 8 cloves of garlic. Heat large pan on medium-high. Next, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, sliced onions, garlic and 1 teaspoon salt. Saute for 4-5 minutes until onions have softened.
    2. Next, add 1 tablespoon ketchup and stir. Then, add 1 tablespoon shaoxing cooking wine. Cook for 2-3 minutes on low-medium heat until the liquid has evaporated. Be careful the onions can be burned easily because of the ketchup. Set aside and cool.
    3. Peel the skin of the pear and cut in pieces. Put pear and onion mixture in a blender with 3 tablespoons water. Next, blend until smooth.
    4. In a large pot on medium heat, add 4 cups water, 3 bay leaves, 3 star anise, half cinnamon bark and blended mixture. When the water starts boiling, add 1 tablespoon curry powder, ½ tablespoon chicken bouillon, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Stir together. Cook sauce for 8-10 minutes. Then, skim the top of the bubbles and take out the bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon bark.
    5. Afterwards, add 1 pack fish balls (optional: I like giving the fish balls a rinse after I open the package to get rid of any ice or unwanted fridge smell) to the curry sauce. Mix together and boil for 5 minutes. The fish balls will turn a light yellow color.
    6. Next, add 1 tablespoon butter, ½ tablespoon chili oil (add more if you like more spicy), ½ tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Lastly, add heavy cream if you like the sauce to be creamier. I like to cook for an additional 5 minutes to have a thicker consistency! The longer you cook the fish balls on medium heat, the thicker the sauce will be. You can serve by itself, or skewered. I add ketchup on top (don’t judge it until you try it!) for extra sweetness. I got the ketchup idea on curry balls from a Guangzhou 7-11 store.

    See More Hong Kong Favorite Dishes:

    • Hong Kong style baked pork chop rice – savory and tangy tomato sauce served on top of egg fried rice and savory pork chops.
    • Cheung fun (Hong Kong rice rolls) – rice noodles mixed with savory peanut sauce for a delicious street snack.
    • Beef chow fun – savory beef fried with noodles and bean sprouts and green onions.
    • Mango Pancake – Hong Kong Style
    • Bowl of macaroni soup with fried egg, ham, and a spoonful of pasta.
      Hong Kong Macaroni Soup
    • A plate of Hong Kong French toast with condensed milk being poured over the top.
      Hong Kong French Toast
    • chinese egg tarts on a plate on and on a wire rack cooling down
      Chinese Egg Tarts 蛋挞
    curry fish balls hong kong style
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Hong Kong Curry Fish Balls

    Fish balls cooked in a hong kong style curry sauce for a savory and flavorful bite.
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time45 minutes mins
    Total Time1 hour hr
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: Chinese
    Servings: 6 people
    Calories: 216kcal
    Author: Dana

    Ingredients

    saute:

    • 1 onion sliced
    • 8 garlic cloves chopped
    • 1 tablespoon avocado oil any neutral oil
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon ketchup
    • 1 tablespoon cooking wine shaoxing cooking wine or sake

    blend:

    • sauteed ingredients (onion mixture)
    • 1 pear
    • 3 tablespoon water

    boil:

    • 4 cups water
    • 3 bay leaves
    • 3 star anise
    • half cinnamon bark
    • blended onion mixture
    • 1 tablespoon curry powder
    • ½ tablespoon chicken bouillon
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 pack fish balls
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • ½ tablespoon chili oil
    • ½ tablespoon sugar
    • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
    • 2 tablespoon heavy cream or coconut cream optional

    Instructions

    Saute:

    • Slice 1 onion and chop 8 cloves of garlic. Heat large pan on medium-high. Next, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, sliced onions, garlic and 1 teaspoon salt. Saute for 4-5 minutes until onions have softened.
      8 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon avocado oil, 1 teaspoon salt
    • Next, add 1 tablespoon ketchup and stir. Then, add 1 tablespoon shaoxing cooking wine. Cook for 2-3 minutes on low-medium heat until the liquid has evaporated. Be careful the onions can be burned easily because of the ketchup. Set aside and cool.
      1 tablespoon ketchup, 1 tablespoon cooking wine

    Blend:

    • Peel the skin of the pear and cut in pieces. Put pear and onion mixture in a blender with 3 tablespoons water. Blend until smooth.
      sauteed ingredients, 1 pear, 3 tablespoon water

    Boil:

    • In a large pot on medium heat, add 4 cups water, 3 bay leaves, 3 star anise, half cinnamon bark and blended mixture. When the water starts boiling, add 1 tablespoon curry powder, ½ tablespoon chicken bouillon, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Stir together. Cook sauce for 8-10 minutes. Then, skim the top of the bubbles and take out the bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon bark.
      4 cups water, 3 bay leaves, 3 star anise, half cinnamon bark, blended onion mixture, 1 tablespoon curry powder, ½ tablespoon chicken bouillon, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • Then, add 1 pack fish balls (optional: I like giving the fish balls a rinse after I open the package to get rid of any ice or unwanted fridge smell) to the curry sauce. Mix together and boil for 5 minutes. The fish balls will turn a light yellow color.
      1 pack fish balls
    • Next, add 1 tablespoon butter, ½ tablespoon chili oil (add more if you like more spicy), ½ tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Lastly, add heavy cream if you like the sauce to be creamier. I like to cook for an additional 5 minutes to have a thicker consistency! The longer you cook the fish balls on medium heat, the thicker the sauce will be. You can serve by itself, or skewered. I add ketchup on top (don't judge it until you try it!) for extra sweetness. I got the ketchup idea on curry balls from a Guangzhou 7-11 store.
      1 tablespoon butter, ½ tablespoon chili oil, ½ tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoon heavy cream or coconut cream

    Nutrition

    Calories: 216kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 1522mg | Potassium: 334mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 252IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 1mg
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    Did you make this?Please give it a 5-star rating, or leave a comment to share your experience! Tag @cookwithdanaa on Instagram to show me your beautiful creations! 😊

    More Hong Kong street food dishes? Check out some below!

    • Cheung fun aka Rice Noodles – the noodles are dressed in a delicious hoisin, peanut, and xo sauce for the ultimate comfort food!
    • Hong Kong French Toast – the classic peanut butter filled toast with condensed milk is the classic breakfast dish you see at Hong Kong cafes.
    • Baked Pork Chop Rice – the perfectly marinated pork chop with tomato sauce. The rice is baked with the sauce and pork chop for a tasty (and cheesy!) bite!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Joanne says

      June 29, 2022 at 2:16 pm

      Hi Dana – I’m so excited to try this recipe. I love Chinese style curry fish balls and it’s not available where I live. Could you let me know which curry powder you use as I feel like there’s so many kinds and flavor can vary greatly. Thank you in advance!

      Reply
      • Cook With Dana says

        June 30, 2022 at 5:40 am

        Hi Joanne, I have a super random one and I think I got it at the asian grocery store. I usually use Thai curry powder or Chinese curry powder. Indian curry is a lot stronger and more spicy. If you find mild curry, I recommend to use that. -Dana

        Reply

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