Grandma's Chiu Chow (Teochew) Style Deep Fried Shrimp Balls

My paternal grandparents are from the Chiu Chow province of China and my grandma makes these really amazing deep fried shrimp balls from her local cuisine that I (and everybody in the family) have loved all our lives. They are always such a special treat! The last time she made her signature shrimp balls for a family feast, I watched and took notes so I could replicate the dish myself. Since Grandma doesn't measure anything, it took a couple of tries to get the proportions right, but I think I have this baby down now. :) I should add that I made a couple of very minor modifications but they do taste just like Grandma's creation. I brought some to work for my buddy Maria and she claimed - twice - that it's one of the best things I've made! Thanks, Grandma!

GRANDMA'S CHIU CHOW (TEOCHEW) STYLE DEEP FRIED SHRIMP BALLS

Ingredients:

• 1 lb uncooked shrimp, peeled
• 8 water chestnuts, chopped (the larger the chopped pieces, the crunchier the shrimp balls will be)
• ¼ lbs ground pork
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 egg
• Salt, white pepper, and Chicken broth mix to taste
• Corn oil or vegetable oil
• ½ cup flour
• A small bowl of water

Directions:

1. Mash shrimp using the flat part of a cleaver.
2. In a large bowl, combine shrimp, water chestnuts, ground pork, shallot, eggs, salt, pepper, and chicken broth mix. Mix well. (My grandma said to stir only in one direcon - i.e., if you started stirring counterclockwise, do not reverse and stir clockwise - but I honestly don't think it makes a difference).
3. Add flour and mix to combine. Do not overmix. (This is how Grandma does it. See an alternative version described in Step 5.)
   
4. Heat oil on high in a wok or a deep skillet. The amount of oil used depends on the size of your wok/skillet and the size of the shrimp balls. In general, use enough oil to cover half the diameter of the shrimp balls – for example, if your shrimp balls are 1” in diameter, then fill wok ½” deep with oil. Once the oil is boiling, reduce heat to medium.
5. Mold the shrimp mixture into rounded tablespoons. Dip a spoon into the bowl/glass of water before scooping the shrimp balls (this prevents the shrimp balls from sticking to the spoon). Optional step: Prepare a small bowl of flour and dip each shrimp ball in flour (this is one thing I do that's different from Grandma).
   
6. Place each shrimp ball into the oil-filled wok. Roll the shrimp balls around so they fry evenly on all sides. Fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
7. Drain shrimp balls before serving.
8. Shrimp balls are traditionally served with a tangerine sauce that is not available in North America. The closest store-bought sauce I have found is a golden plum sauce, though a sweet and sour sauce would work as well.

Yields: About 20-25 shrimp balls, depending on size

Mashed shrimp

Shrimp balls!

Here's a video of my grandma shaping the shrimp mixture into balls and scooping them into the wok. Note that she's been making these for decades so she's quite the pro at it, making the process seem so easy and elegant. Me, on the other hand, can't quite get her technique down, so I cheat and use a melon baller instead. :P