Shrimp or crawfish balls are popular in both Oriental and Southern US cuisine. Recipes differ in ingredients and cooking methods, with some suggesting boiling instead of frying. Dim sum restaurants popularized the dish in the West, and variations include using cooked shrimp or substituting other seafood. Double frying and dipping in sauces are common techniques.
Typically, shrimp or crawfish balls are an oriental dish, but they are also popular in the southern part of the United States and other areas. Most recipes list ingredients such as minced shrimp or shrimp paste, vegetables, and binders. Although most recipes direct the cook to fry the shrimp balls, other recipes, such as the Roman shrimp ball recipes, suggest boiling the balls in water or broth. Fried prawn balls are very popular in dim sum restaurants; the dim sum tradition spread to Western cultures in the 19th century. Both oriental and Roman dishes are ancient and traditional in seafood kitchens where prawns are plentiful.
Oriental and Roman prawn balls use raw prawns as the main ingredient. Southern state recipes in the United States usually contain cooked shrimp. Usually, shrimp ball recipes call for the cook to either grind the shrimp to a paste-like consistency or mince the shrimp. A cook can process the shrimp using a food processor or prepare it manually with a cleaver. To use the cleaver technique, finely chop the shrimp and make a shrimp paste by mashing the shrimp against the cutting board with the flat side of the cleaver.
Another difference between oriental shrimp balls and the Roman or American version is the texture. Typically, crayfish or oriental shrimp balls have a crunchy texture inside that is achieved when a cook uses finely chopped or minced water chestnuts. The Roman and American versions do not have this characteristic crunch. American cooks often substitute crawfish for shrimp when shrimp is plentiful. Other cultures may substitute other seafood, including fish, crab and oysters.
Dim sum restaurants originated as a Cantonese custom centuries ago. They were teahouses that offered sweet and savory tidbits with the tea. Shrimp, fish, and other meatballs were common and continue to be popular in dim sum restaurants in modern times. During the 19th-century migration of Chinese workers to Western countries, such as the United States, Chinese cooks spread their cuisine around the world.
Most of the recipes use the same process. The cook grinds or chops raw shrimp and adds finely chopped vegetables, such as water chestnuts and shallots. Other traditional ingredients include flavorings such as ginger root, diced lard or pork fat, and egg whites. After mixing the ingredients well, the cook shapes them into balls and rolls them in dry breadcrumbs before frying them in hot oil. Every cook has a favorite recipe or technique for making balls.
One technique that gives the balls a crispier outer shell is double frying. A cook fries the balls until lightly browned and then removes them, allowing them to drain. The cook heats the oil and, when hot, re-fries the prawn balls until the desired color and texture is achieved.
Some people prefer poached shrimp or fish balls. The Romans drowned the balls in water which they flavored with celery leaves and black pepper. Other cooks use flavored broth, such as chicken or vegetable broth. Boiled or poached balls are not as common as fried ones.
Often people dip the fried balls into a sauce. Some of the sauces are fish sauce, plum or other fruit sauces, and chili sauce. A simple dip is rock salt mixed with freshly ground black pepper. Other people serve shrimp or prawn balls in soup, such as hot or sour soup or vegetable soup.
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