Smooth, springy balls of fish paste with a juicy pork filling, served in a light broth.
What makes it fuzhou fish balls
Fish — traditionally eel, shark or mackerel — beaten with sweet potato starch until smooth and bouncy.
A filling of minced pork seasoned with soy and a little sugar.
Poached, and served in a light broth with spring onion and a drop of vinegar.
Where it comes from
Fish balls are made all along China's south coast, but Fuzhou's are the ones with something inside: a nugget of seasoned pork that stays juicy as the fish sets around it. They're eaten from snack shops at any hour, a few in a bowl of clear broth.
Fuzhou emigrants took them to South-East Asia, and they're still made in Foochow communities there.