It is a deceptively simple snack. Minced fish is beaten to a springy sponge and formed into little balls that are then dropped in soup. The surprise lies in the heart of it.
As someone born and raised in Chongqing where most of the food is spicy, it has been quite strange to find myself addicted to this relatively bland ball - yuwan, the signature snack of Fuzhou in Fujian province.
It was the first local snack I tasted here since arriving three months ago. Yuwan has played such an important role in Fuzhou cuisine that the locals say: "If there is no yuwan, there is no dinner".
The name does not do it justice. Although many places in Southeast Asia have their own ways of cooking fish balls, the Fuzhou yuwan stands out because of its meat filling.
Made from the minced meat of eel, shark or freshwater fish and beaten into balls, the soft, white and spongy Fuzhou yuwan and its minced pork heart makes for a satisfying, savory meal.
Many restaurants, snack bars and street vendors in Fuzhou serve the dish, and an average bowl of six tennis-ball sized fish balls costs about 6 yuan ($1).
At Yonghe Yuwan, a famous chain store in Fuzhou, a local chef told me it is easy to make fish balls at home and many people cook it at home. He taught me how to make it.
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