Hong Kong is my slice of paradise when it comes to street food, as it is the place where I find myself "sweeping" the streets and alleyways in Mongkok after class, and going on late night visits to 華記小食 on 寶勒巷 for their grilled skewers with satay sauce and 椒鹽粉 (salt and pepper seasoning). Yup, that's definitely a calorie and sodium overload for me but with that #YOLO (or put more elegantly - c'est la vie) mentality, who would even think about the consequences in the face of such mouthwatering goodness?

魚肉燒賣 (siu mai) is definitely one of the most popular street snacks, along with its partner in crime, 咖喱魚蛋 (curry fish balls).

Did you know that 5 pieces of steamed siu mai is 240-360kcal? This equates to having more than a bowl of steam rice!

This is because it is mostly made up of lard (pork fat) with various types of flour. Ironically, minuscule amounts of fish meat are actually found in these siu mais in order to achieve low production cost. This is why I have decided to perfect the recipe for homemade minced fish siu mai, incorporating no lard but lots and lots of actual fish! This recipe is well seasoned so you can enjoy the siu mai as it is but if you are a big fan of sauces like Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, chilli, you name it, feel free! :)

Recipe

Ingredients

*I got my siu mai skins from Mong Kok: 樂天號食品公司, 白布街18號地下. I attempted to make my own skins, they were thick & floury so I recommend using ready-made skins.

Procedure

1. Separate the meat of the fish from the bone by using a spoon. Make sure you scrape every bit of the fish to avoid waste.

2. Mince the fish

3. To ensure a smooth siu mai texture, you will have to extract all tendons from the fish meat. To achieve this, flatten a portion of the meat, and pick out all visible tendons.