Ingredients
500 g (about 1 lb) fresh eel meat, 200 g (about 7 oz) pork, 25 g (about 1 oz) each of ham and pea shoots.
Seasonings
Salt, MSG, sugar, soy sauce, cooking wine, water starch, and cooked chicken oil, each to taste, plus 750 ml (about 3 cups) of fresh broth.
Preparation
1. Remove the sinew from the pork, rinse it clean, then mince it into a fine paste. Place the paste in a bowl and add cooking wine, soy sauce, MSG (or omit), sugar, and a little water starch, stirring vigorously in one direction until the mixture is well-combined and firm, forming the filling.
2. Pick over and wash the pea shoots clean; wash the ham and slice into small pieces.
3. Clean the eel meat, pat it dry, then use the back of a knife to pound it into a paste. Transfer to a bowl, add a pinch of salt and some water starch, and stir until it forms a thick paste.
Steps
1. Take a small amount of fish paste, gently flatten it in your palm, place a suitable amount of prepared meat filling on top, then close your hand to wrap the filling with the fish paste, gently rolling it into a fish ball.
2. Add water to a pot and bring to a gentle simmer, then add the fish balls and blanch until cooked through, then remove and plunge into cold water to cool.
3. Place a clean pot over heat, add fresh broth, salt, MSG, and ham, bring to a boil, then add the fish balls and pea shoots, cook briefly, pour into a soup bowl, and drizzle with rendered chicken fat.