Bok Choy and Fish Cake Stir Fry

Many of my Chinese recipes are handed down by my mum. Whenever I’d like to have a Chinese dish on our table, I always turn to my mum and try what she cooked for us. She likes to make fish cakes, blended with shiitake mushrooms and dried prawns (dried shrimps), that could be traced back to her family’s heritage. My mum said, the choice of fish meat is crucial. The fish has to be very fresh, without any fishy smell at all. A pinch of pepper and a bunch of diced spring onion will add a kick. The fish cake can be eaten on its own. What a sensational taste when the springy pan-fried fish cake pops into your mouth, comes straight from the pan and still hot. Dip with some chili sauce if you like a spicy kick.

In Hong Kong, people like to choose Mud Carp (鯪魚). Unfortunately, I can’t find any in Australia here. So I used mackerel (馬鮫魚) that’s also a good choice of making springy fish cake.

As for bok choy, try to get the kind with shorter stems if you can. That’s the best kind with sweetest taste.

Bok Choy and Fish Cake Stir Fry (Printable recipe)

Ingredients:

• 200 gm bok choy (白菜)
• 200 gm mackerel
• 40 gm vermicelli (粉絲)
• 6 dried Shiitake mushrooms
• 10 large dried prawns (dried shrimps)
• 1 spring onion, finely diced
• 3 slices ginger
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• salt, to taste

Marinade:

• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cornflour
• a pinch pepper

Thickening:

• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• sesame oil, to taste
• pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Rinse bok choy and drain well. Cut into sections, about 4cm (1.5 inch) in length. Separate stalks and leaves apart.
2. Soak dried prawns, shiitake mushrooms and vermicelli in warm water until softened. Finely chop dried prawns and shiitake mushrooms into cubes. Cut vermicelli into three sections. Set aside.
3. Use a food processor to grind fish meat into paste. Transfer into a deep bowl. Add dried prawns, mushrooms, spring onion and marinade. Use chopsticks, mix and blend only towards one direction, either clockwise or anticlockwise, for about 10 to 15 minutes. (Note: Beating fish meat towards only one direction will help you produce elastic fish meat. Don’t add in any oil yet in this stage. The fish meat can’t easily be stick together otherwise. I learnt these tricks from my mum.)
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a non-stick pan or wok. Add fish paste, lightly press and flatten the fish paste, to get a disc about 0.5 to 0.7cm (0.5 inch) in thickness. Pan fry the fish over medium heat until both sides are golden brown. Transfer onto a kitchen paper to absorb access oil. Let cool a bit. Cut into small pieces. Set aside.
5. Add some oil in wok or pan. Saute ginger over medium-high heat until fragrant. Add stalks of bok choy and stir fry until soft. Add leaves and continue to stir fry, followed by chicken broth. Season with salt. When the bok choy is almost done, add vermicelli. Let vermicelli absorb sauce. Replenish more chicken broth or water if necessary. Cook until vermicelli is softened. Toss back fish cakes, add thickening and cook the consistency to your liking. Dish up and serve hot.

Note:

• The dried prawns I used were very large one. Each was about 5cm (1 inch) long, meaty and very fragrant with high quality. They are not the same as the small ones, called 蝦米 (xiami, literally means dried prawn as small as rice).

More tasty recipes of Bok Choy:

• Recipe for Stir-Fried Bok Choy with Hoisin Sauce from Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Bok Choy Recipe from Steamy Kitchen
• Baby Bok Choy with Cashews from Simply Recipes
• Seared Salmon with Baby Bok Choy & Miso Sauce Recipe from Cookin’ Canuck