TEKWAN

Tekwan is a fish ball soup from Palembang, South Sumatra. The fish balls are made from fish paste and tapioca starch - similar to empek-empek and siomay bandung :)

#1. FISH BALLS
Ingredients:
13 oz fish paste.
7 tbs tapioca starch
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
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* Mix fish paste with sugar,pepper,salt, and tapioca starch.
* Bring water to boil in a pan.
* Use two teaspoons to make the fish paste into round shapes and add in boiling water. The cooked fish balls will float in a pan. Remove and set aside.

#2. THE SOUP
Ingredients:
10 tbs dried shrimp - soak in water, drain, and finely chopped
6 cloves garlic - finely chopped
1 handful dried lily flowers - 金针 (^available @ 99 Ranch Market)
1 handful black fungus (^)
4 tbs butter
4 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs Dashida
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt.
4 tbs sugar
2500 ml water
3 stalks celery - thinly sliced
1 medium size jicama
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*Soak dried lily flowers and black fungus in hot water for 5 minutes or so. Rinse and drain.Cut black fungus into 2 or 3 pieces. Knot lily flowers. - set aside
*Peel and cut jicama into strips
*Heat butter in skillet,add garlic and dried shrimp^^, stir frequently until slightly brown.Remove from heat - set aside
*Bring 2500 ml water to boil, add garlic + dried shrimp^^, Dashida, fish sauce, pepper, salt, sugar. Then add fish balls,jicama, black fungus and lily flowers.Cook for 2 minutes.

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* Move to a serving bowl, garnish with celery and fried shallots. I like to add 2 tbs vinegar, ABC sweet soy sauce, and ground chilies. It tastes better ;)