Ingredients
200 g sea eel fillet, 75 g pork leg meat, 40 g shelled shrimp, celery leaves (chopped) to taste, 700 g chicken broth, 30 g water.
Seasonings
75 g (about 2.6 oz) each of white pepper powder, salt, and water chestnut flour, plus 20 g (about 0.7 oz) sesame oil.
Instructions
1. Finely mince the fish meat with the back of a knife, the finer the better (note: in summer, chop quickly as the friction between the knife and cutting board generates heat, which can spoil the fish); after mincing, add about 30 g (about 2 tablespoons) of water and stir vigorously until well combined, then add 30 g (about 2 tablespoons) of salt and continue stirring until the fish mixture puffs up and expands.
2. Remove the skin and sinew from the pork leg, combine with the shrimp, and mince finely together. Add salt to taste and mix well.
3. Use your left hand to squeeze the fish paste between your thumb and index finger to form small balls, then immediately use your right hand to stuff a tiny amount of the minced pork and shrimp mixture into each fish ball. Continue wrapping them one by one and place them into a pot of boiling water to cook; they will be done in about 10 minutes.
4. In a separate clean dry pot, pour in chicken broth (add salt to taste), then remove the fish balls from the plain water pot and transfer them into the chicken broth pot. Bring to a boil, then ladle both the soup and fish balls into a soup bowl, sprinkle with chopped celery and white pepper, and drizzle with sesame oil before serving. This dish is fresh, tender, and light on the palate, often enjoyed after eating heavy, oily foods to refresh the taste.