Burmese Fish Balls Sipyan

Fish Balls Sipyan

Fish balls remind me of the time a group of co-workers and I went to lunch at a Chinese restaurant and I ordered fish ball and watercress soup. A Chinese lady and I were the only ones who had ever heard of fish balls, so it was the source of much amusement and glee for our meat-and-potatoes comrades. 

Fish balls can be made at home, but are readily available in Asian markets here in North America. When made from scratch, all the tastes that make them uniquely Burmese can be added to the fish mixture so that the flavors permeate from the inside out. Using generic fish balls from the market requires that they be simmered long and slow and, for this, the sipyan method works best. 'Sipyan' translates to 'oil returns' which requires a simmering process on medium-low heat that evaporates the liquid until all the oil rises to the surface.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (about 12) fish balls

1 russet or baking potato, peeled and cubed

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 large onion, peeled and quartered

2" piece ginger, peeled and chopped

5-6 cloves garlic, peeled

1 large beefsteak tomato, diced

1 bunch cilantro stems

2 whole green chilies or to taste

½ tsp. Kashmiri mirch or paprika or chili powder

¼ tsp. turmeric powder

1 Tbsp. fish sauce

½ tsp. shrimp paste/ngapi

2 Tbsp. tomato ketchup

1 cup chicken broth or water

½ cup cilantro/coriander leaves, minced

Directions:

1. Roughly chop onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes and cilantro stems in a food processor or a Ninja chopper.
2. Bring chicken broth to a boil, add fish balls along with chopped and remaining ingredients, except cilantro.
3. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer for half an hour until oil floats to the surface.
4.  Adjust salt to taste using fish sauce, stir and remove from heat.
5. Garnish with cilantro.

Serve with hot rice as a main dish.