Ca Vien Chien (Fried Fish Balls with Water Spinach), No Added Refined Sugar

Method

1. Put 500g fish balls, shrimp balls, sausage and crab sticks in a basin. Cut the sausage into short lengths and score it. Rinse everything and drain thoroughly.
2. Pick the leaves off 300g water spinach, keeping only the stems, then wash them and cut them into 4 to 5cm lengths. Peel 2 garlic cloves, crush and mince them.
3. Mix the sauce: put 1.5 tablespoons fish sauce, 3 tablespoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1/2 tablespoon chili sauce, 1/2 tablespoon Korean chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon MSG and 2 tablespoons water in a bowl and stir together.
4. Set a pan over the heat with half a small bowl of cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add the fish balls and fry, turning, until cooked through. Once they puff up slightly, lift them out to drain.
5. In another pan, heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil, fry the minced garlic until fragrant, then add the water spinach and toss quickly.
6. Add the fried balls and all of the sauce, toss for about 30 seconds until everything is coated, then turn off the heat.

Tips

• Drain the fish balls completely after rinsing, as any water sends the oil spitting.
• Use only the stems of the water spinach and toss quickly to keep them crisp.
• Fry in small batches, since all 500g at once cools the oil and leaves the balls limp.
• Add the sauce at the very end and toss for only 30 seconds, as longer scorches it bitter.
• Lift the balls out the moment they puff, since overfrying makes them chewy.