Squid and Shrimp Balls with Sweet and Sour Sauce

This is considered a street food in the Philippines and is commonly sold by a vendor who goes around pushing his cart trying to find a good location with which to park it. The cart is equipped with a stove that is powered by a portable gas tank. The sauce range from sweet to spicy and there is usually three different varieties of sauces to choose from. Squid balls isn't really very common compared to its cousin, fishball, in Bacolod or Silay where I came from.



I first tasted squid balls in Manila. I remember eating this from a food stall in one of the malls in Manila, the capital city of the Philippine Islands. I remember that there is always a long line in that stall with people who buys their product range from students to professionals. Ahhh, those were bittersweet days that I spent in a very crowded, traffic congested, and fast moving city which was, and still is, so far from the easy and laid back lifestyle which I was accustomed to in the province and city where I grew up.

This recipe is not the same recipe that they use for street food cart but it is loosely based on a squid ball recipe from CD Kitchen.


Ingredients:
2 lb squid, cleaned and skin removed
1 lb shrimp
1 small shallot chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 egg yolk
a pinch of paprika
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
oil for frying

1. Clean and slice squid into rings.
2. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan.
3. Blanch squid in boiling water for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
4. Place squids, shallot, shrimps, egg yolk, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth.
5. Add 1-2 Tbsp of oil and continue to process until it starts to form a ball.
6. Remove from the processor and shape into small balls. NOTE: To form mini-balls, take a little bit less than a teaspoon full of mixture and use two teaspoons to form it into a ball. Drop the formed balls into hot oil as you make them.
7. Heat oil in a pan and deeep fry squid balls until golden brown in color. NOTE: Be areful not to burn yourself. Use spaller screen to prevent oil from splattering all over you and the stove.
8. Remove from heat and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain oil. NOTE: Make sure that the squid ball is cooked through. Adjust the fire so that the outer surface does not get burned while the center cooks.
9. Transfer to a serving dish and place toothpick on each. Serve with Sweet and Sour Sauce ( Recipe here)