Pork and Shrimp Balls with Glutinous Rice

Of late, a lot of my conversation with Sister begins with...

Remember when...?

Those nostalgic flashbacks may be the result of seeing the city you grew up in destructed by an earthquake.

Remember when we jumped so high on the trampoline to wave at the neighbours over the fence?

Remember when our black-nosed friend was given away to this 'mean' girl who grabbed it by the legs?

Remember when we used to call that 'mean' girl, 'Boy', just because we associated those two words? (We were nasty, aye?)

Remember when Mother would make her famous cheesecake?

And remember those 'Pearl Balls'? Gee, they were tasty, weren't they?

Perhaps we subconsciously try to hold on to these precious memories in the fear that they may one day slip away from the mind like so many others have over the years?

So what are these 'Pearl Balls', you ask?

They are juicy minced pork and shrimp balls rolled in a layer of sticky rice. There are also loads of shallot and mushrooms in there...oh yes! And they are usually eaten with some soy sauce to dip on the side.

Should I add, since I am home in Sydney on a break, credit also goes to Sister who helped to re-create this childhood dish that has never departed our minds since those trampolining days.

What better time than now to re-visit childhood flavours with our tastebuds just as we have visited those old memories with our mind.

Pork and Shrimp Balls with Glutinous Rice
Serves 8

• 2 cups glutinous rice, rinsed, soaked for a day, drained
• 500g pork mince
• few cubes of silken tofu (optional: just because we needed to use it up!)
• 6 shiitake mushroom
• 300g fresh shrimp, deveined and chopped
• 1 bunch shallots
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp corn flour
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp rice wine
• salt and pepper to taste
• pinch sugar

1. Roughly chop the shallots and add to a food processor along with the mushrooms and garlic. Pulse until fine.

2. Place the pork mince and tofu (optional) in a big mixing bowl, and add the shallot/mushroom mixture as well as all the rest of the ingredients except the glutinous rice.

3. Mix together for a few minutes until all is well combined. I used my stand mixer with paddle attachment.

4. Divide and shape mixture into equal size balls (should be a bit smaller than a golf ball).

5. Roll mince balls in the glutinous rice to coat evenly.

6. Arrange coated balls in steamer basket and steam in a preheated steamer for 10 to 12 minutes, until cooked through.

Don't forget to dip it with some soy sauce on the side!

Hope you all had a good week...and are happily anticipating the weekend ahead as I am!