The Korean Fish Ball Cure

 

Wednesday, September 5, 2012 – The Korean Fish Ball Cure

After several days of feeling lethargic and wondering how and when I’d ever regain my appetite, I got up from a mid-afternoon nap with a sense of purpose.  I went straight to the freezer, and dug around until I retrieved a plastic bag (not even ziplock) that contained a dozen or so unidentifiable objects.  Most were balls, approximately walnut-sized.  A couple were either cube-shaped or amorphous.  Some were pearly white or white with green flecks, while others bore that familiar brownish shade that hints at a quick dip in the deep fryer. 

Three at a time, I placed them on a small plate, covered them with a damp paper towel and zapped them in the microwave.  Just over a minute later, I was sitting down at the table and devouring each morsel.  Loss of appetite?  Gone.  The miracle cure?  Korean fish balls.   

I remember bringing them home a few months ago from Super H-Mart, the Korean supermarket, after tasting them for the first time.  A company or store rep had a big display in the fish area and was giving out samples.  I tried one, I tried a second, and then I couldn’t stop.  They were delicious, tasting of the sea in all of its subtle flavor notes.  I was delighted to find that a couple of the fish balls had surprises inside.  “Fish roe,” she said about one.  “Octopus,” she said about another.  “Tofu,” she added, pointing at the cube.  I reached for another sample. “Microwave one minute,” she added with a smile, and handed me a plastic bag to fill up with all the frozen goodies I desired.  How simple!

I don’t go to H-Mart all that often, but now I recall why I was there on that particular day.  I was waiting for Elisa to get a pedicure at a nail spa in the same strip mall.  So, thank you, Elisa.  You are indirectly responsible for this culinary discovery.  Those poor lonely fish balls sat shivering away in the freezer until today when I rediscovered them.  

Sorry I have just a single photo to share.  I nuked and ate up all of the other fish balls before it occurred to me to get the camera.  But I can surely manage to drive past Super H-Mart on my way back from Elliott’s doctor’s appointment next Monday.  I’m thinking about picking up a couple of dozen for Rosh Hashannah.  They’d be a good stand-in for gefilte fish, as long as I avoid the ones stuffed with octopus, which technically isn’t kosher.