Savory and Moist Soy Sauce Braised Fish Cake
The Ultimate Moist Soy Sauce Braised Fish Cake Recipe: How to Make Chewy Fish Cake and Onion Stir-fry
This braised fish cake stays wonderfully moist even after refrigeration.
Main Ingredients
- 4 sheets of square fish cake (use 3 sheets if using thick fish cake)
- 1/2 onion
- 1/3 carrot (for color, optional)
- 200ml water
- 1 anchovy coin stock cube (or anchovy-kelp broth)
Seasoning
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- Pinch of sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- Pinch of sesame seeds
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare the vegetables that will add flavor to your fish cake stir-fry. Thinly slice the onion and carrot. The carrot is mainly for adding color and doesn’t significantly impact the taste, so feel free to omit it if you prefer.
Step 2
Cut the square fish cakes into thin strips, suitable for stir-frying. You can also cut them into shapes of your choice. Personally, I found that using thicker fish cakes allowed the sauce to penetrate better, resulting in a more delicious outcome than with regular fish cakes. Whichever type you use, it will turn out delicious!
Step 3
Heat a pan over medium heat and add a small amount of cooking oil along with the minced garlic. Add the sliced onion and carrot and stir-fry. Cook until the edges of the onion turn translucent and release their sweet aroma. Sautéing the vegetables thoroughly will enhance their natural sweetness.
Step 4
To the sautéed vegetables, add 200ml of water and 1 anchovy coin stock cube. If you don’t have coin stock cubes, using anchovy-kelp broth, rice water (water from rinsing rice), or even water steeped with kelp will add a richer, deeper flavor to the broth.
Step 5
Now, add the seasoning ingredients: 2 Tbsp soy sauce and 1 Tbsp sugar. Stir briefly to combine the sauce. Then, add all the prepared fish cakes and toss gently to ensure the sauce evenly coats the fish cakes.
Step 6
At this stage, there will still be a good amount of liquid in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and let the mixture simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. While it’s simmering, gently shake the pan or stir with a spatula intermittently to prevent the sauce from sticking or burning. Allowing the sauce to deeply infuse into the fish cakes is key.
Step 7
You’ll notice that the liquid has significantly reduced compared to before simmering, and the fish cakes will have a glossy sheen. Once it reaches this consistency, it’s almost ready. Turn off the heat. It’s best not to over-reduce it completely; leaving a little moisture will keep the fish cakes from drying out when stored in the refrigerator.
Step 8
Finally, while the heat is off, drizzle in 1 Tbsp of sesame oil and sprinkle a pinch of sesame seeds. The nutty aroma of the sesame oil and the delightful crunch of the sesame seeds will elevate the flavor of your braised fish cakes. Give it a final mix, and your delicious soy sauce braised fish cake is ready!
