Homemade Prawn Balls
I think that at some point in time, most of us have openly defied our parents. When I was growing up I had friends who would skip school, or go out with boys their parents banned them from seeing. Some of them take up drinking and go out past their curfews.
Me? My form of rebellion was eating fish balls from the street vendors outside my school.
Because she worried that the stalls were not clean and the food was not sanitary, my Mom explicitly banned all of us from buying any food from the vendors who lined the streets outside the school walls. Every afternoon I would watch as my classmates would spend whatever was left of their daily allowance buying snacks from the vendors. Sometimes they would buy boiled peanuts or green mangoes… but I was always most envious when they’d buy the deep fried fish balls.
The fish balls were served on a barbecue stick and served a sweet and sour dipping sauce. Sometimes, I’d ask my friends for a bite which was always a mistake as it would make me want even more. Finally, one day the little rebel in me decided enough was enough. I decided to sneak out one afternoon with a friend to buy the fish balls. In fact, I bought three sticks and those five minutes it took me to finish eating them, was pure bliss.
When I saw these homemade prawn balls from Indochine Kitchen’s blog, it brought back memories of the days I’d sneak out to buy the fish balls. I had always wondered how to get that crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside texture from these deep fried balls made from seafood (whether it be prawns, fish or squid) and Jun’s recipe was simple enough to try.
Not only did making them take me back to that afternoon I snuck out to eat the forbidden fish balls, but these prawn balls were better – and so incredibly easy to make. In fact, I’ve made these twice already. The first time I made them plain similar to the recipe on Jun’s blog. The second time I added a bit more flavours like coriander, ginger, garlic and soy sauce. Both version were definite crowd pleasers, especially with some sweet chili sauce.
Homemade Prawn Balls
Homemade Prawn Balls
Adapted from Indochine Kitchen
- 500 grams prawn meat, veins removed
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or tapioca flour
- 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
- 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
- 1 stalk spring (green) onion, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- Oil for frying
- Mix all the ingredients together in a food processor and blend well.
- Take a rounded spoonful of the prawn mixture and shape it into a ball. It helps the shaping if you wet the spoon with cold water.
- Heat a wok or pan with oil for frying. When hot enough, gently drop the prawn balls in the oil and fry for around 3 to 5 minutes. Drain on absorbent paper before serving with some sweet chili sauce.
Trissalicious 
This looks great. Ohh I wish I could make these at home 😦
Lovely recipe and the story that goes with it, you poor deprived kid LOL.
This looks deadly. Tell me, Trissa, as a prairie girl, prawns are such a delicacy, we don’t mess with them much. Is there a broken version or a cheaper version on can buy to use in a recipe like this?
🙂
Valerie
hahaha I was also banned from eating fishballs. I remember that my elders said that the double dipping of the sauce can give you TB & other forms of illnesses. my grandma even tried to please us by making homemade fishballs, but they were definitely not the same. especially the sweet & sour dipping sauce I was obsessed with.
mmmmm this dish really takes me back!
I would have defied that ban too for sure!
What?! Street snacks are the best =P
My mother frowned on street food too!
Your prawn balls look fabulous, Trissa. Such marvelous flavors and really good for game day!
Oh yum – I would’ve done the same! Reverse psychology worked so well on me as a kid, I ended up eating anything my folks told me was off limits.
you Naughty girl! Though, I too, think I would succumb to the beautiful smells of the street vendors.
I love your stories Trissa…you little foodie rebel you! These look great..ddef make a great starter to a dinner party or served as a canape with cocktails.
I can definitely just eating prawn balls and nothing else and I need my Maggi chili sauce too 🙂
I still like eating street snacks like fried fish balls. I must say yours are really beautifully made and photographed – street snacks looking their best!
Just made Chao Tom the Vietnamese shrimp paste version, wrapped around sliced/canned sugar cane. Exceptional as I’m certain these will be. Thanks.
fabulous and yummy recipe
lovely website and pics too
Delphine
OMG, is it my dinner time yet? I always get so hungry looking at your blog.
*kisses* HH
I loved the way they looked so perfectly round in oil and then would go flat once pierced and packed on the stick. I love the sticky brown sweet sauce. My brother loved the sticky brown so much that he asked for a bag of it. He drank it and got sick from food poisoning!!
Fish balls were my childhood snacks that I used to buy from street hawkers on the way back home after school. So much memories associated with the snack.
Now, browsing your picture of prawn balls, it got me thinking of my hometown too. Wonderful recipe, Trissa. Love it very much.
This is a great way to serve seafood, without getting all messy… maybe for appetizers? I could eat them by the dozen 🙂
I miss those street carts! My favorite was taho, but these came a close second.
Thanks for the recipe! Can’t wait to try these. I’d imagine they’re five times better for you and five times fresher.
If I had vendors outside my school I’d have rebelled on street food as well. Mmmm seafoody balls of tastiness!
Oh great, now I’m hungry again and I only just had breakfast! These are making me go a bit weak at the knees :9~~
Ah yes, the fishball vendor! We always say that “it’s the dirt that makes it good”!! Teehee. If you think about it now, people were double-dipping like crazy in those 3 sauces (there was a sweet, a soy-based spicy, and a combo of the sweet and spicy sauces). Good times.
Besides the fishball vendor, there was the green mango vendor (with bagoong or rock salt or both, drool), the corn dude (whose ears of corn bathed in murky-looking waters)… [dreamy look]
you are too funny Trissa!! :)) I can so picture you rebelling and snacking on these deep fried snacks :DD … LOL.. but, how can one resist such delectable fares! I LOVE prawns, going to try this one soon!!
Mmm, yummy! Perfect snack with those braised peanuts for Chinese New Year!
wow this looks yummy…i never tried to taste any of those fish ball from the PI, I’m just scared i guess. We travel a lot and never tried street food till we were in Vietnam when our tour leader decided to take us to all street food he goes and we changed.Anyways i don’t have
the macaroon book , they are out of stock.
Hi Trissa! Nice Recipe! Very simple and easy to follow. But still, nothing beats fish balls cooked along the sidewalks back home. 🙂
what a nice form of rebellion 🙂 they look fantastic!
I love how you add coriander and garlic! Yeah it reminded me to those street vendors with everything-edible-on-stick in Bicol. They were delicious! But I have much more faith in yours 🙂
lol who didn’t defy their parents? The funniest thing I find is that the older you get, the more you agree with all the rules you swore you would never enforce on your own children!
I need to find time to try this one, and other yummy dishes you feature here!
We all love fishballs, squidballs, and shrimpballs! 🙂
Haha I love your story, Trissa. I can just imagine your defiant look as you chowed down on those delicious snacks along the road! I really need to make a folder in my to-make recipes list just for your posts because they all look amazing. This is an instant bookmark.
Me encanta estas bolitas de langostinos. La mezcla de los ingredientes riquísima.
Saludos