We Filipinos love to eat snacks. And most of us are fond of eating street food for merienda ever since we were kids. We would usually go to side streets to buy our favorite tusok-tusok - using sticks to get our pick of deep-fried fish balls, squid balls, and kikiam. There is also a choice of dips which include thick sweet, savory, and/or spicy sauces! How yummy and nostalgic since we cannot huddle around the fishball stand for the moment.

Now, let’s talk about these delectable treats. Each treat is accorded a special shape to distinguish one from another while fishing them out from the pan. Fish balls are usually shaped into small discs. These are ground fish meat combined with other fillers. We usually see them pre-shaped and pre-packed from our street food vendors or from the groceries. Same goes for squid balls but instead of fish, they use ground squid and these are shaped into spheres. Squid balls also appear whiter than fish balls. On another note, kikiam is made of ground meat and vegetables mixed with a lot of fillers. They usually appear brown in color and the size of a finger.

You know what makes these deep-fried treats extra special? The sweet, savory, and spicy sauce! It’s easy to make but difficult to get the flavor similar to the signature concoctions made by street vendors. And sometimes it’s mixed with a spiced vinegar adding that sour taste and spicy kick.

But what if I tell you that we can bring our favorite tusok-tusok right in our home’s kitchen by making them from scratch? This may seem tedious but I promise, this is all worth the effort. Because it’s more nutritious and made more delicious with SARSAYA® Oyster Sauce, and SARSAYA® Sweet & Sour Sauce. Plus, we wouldn’t have to worry about using commercially prepared ingredients with lots of extenders which we usually see in store-bought balls.

Here’s how to make each kind of homemade balls:

Homemade Balls	Ingredients	Steps for Cooking
Fish Balls	¼ kilo Galunggong, fillet, ground ¼ cup Carrots, minced ½ tsp. Ginger, grated 1 Tbsp. Garlic, grated ½ pc. Egg, beaten ¼ cup Cornstarch 1 Tbsp. All-purpose Flour 1 tsp. Salt, coarse 1/8 tsp. Black Pepper, ground ½ Tbsp. Brown Sugar	1. MIX. In a bowl, combine galunggong (make sure to get the fresh ones. The flesh should be firm, no red eyes and no off-odor), carrot, ginger, garlic, egg, cornstarch, all-purpose flour, salt, black pepper, and brown sugar. Mix well. 2. POACH In a pot of simmering water, get at least 1 tablespoon full of fish ball mixture and form into a ball. Drop it to the pot and cook until they float. Remove from the pot and drain excess water on a strainer or colander. 3. DEEP-FRY. In a pan, heat oil. Deep-fry fish ball until light brown. Drain excess oil using a strainer or colander.
Squid Balls	¼ kilo Squid, cleaned, ground ½ tsp. Ginger, grated 1 Tbsp. Garlic, grated 1 Tbsp. Cornstarch 2 Tbsps. All-purpose Flour 1 tsp. White Sugar 1 tsp. Salt, coarse 1/8 tsp. Black Pepper, ground	1. MIX. In a bowl, combine squid (fresh squid has an elastic, very firm and not slimy flesh; color should be purple and not pink. Pink color indicates an onset of spoilage and it has strong “fishy” aroma), ginger, garlic, cornstarch, all-purpose flour, white sugar, salt, and pepper. Mix well. You can use diced squid if you prefer chunkier squid balls. 2. POACH In a pot of simmering water, get at least 1 tablespoon full of squid ball mixture and form into a ball. Drop it to the pot and cook until they float. Remove from the pot and drain excess water on a strainer or colander. 3. DEEP-FRY. In a pan, heat oil. Deep-fry squid ball until light brown. Drain excess oil using a strainer or colander.
Kikiam	1/4 cup Garbanzos, canned, drained 1/4 cup Ground Pork 2 Tbsps. Carrot, minced 2 Tbsps. Spring onion, chopped 1/2 pc. Egg, beaten 1/8 tsp. Five Spice Powder 1/2 Tbsp. Cornstarch 1 Tbsp. All-purpose Flour 1/2 pack SARSAYA® Oyster Sauce 1/4 tsp. Black Pepper, ground 3 pcs. Kikiam Wrapper	1. MIX. In a bowl, combine garbanzos, ground pork, carrot, spring onion, egg, five spice powder, cornstarch, all-purpose flour, SARSAYA® Oyster Sauce, and black pepper. SARSAYA® Oyster Sauce provides a blend of savory, sweet, and salty taste made from real oysters and spices, giving the kikiam a deeper complex flavor. Mix until well-incorporated. 2. WRAP Place a kikiam wrapper on a clean surface. Place ¼ cup of the kikiam filling shaped into a log then roll the sheet tightly, wrapping the filling. Moisten the edges to seal the wrap. 3. STEAM. Using a steamer, place kikiam on top of boiling water and allow steam to flow. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until firm. Let it cool then slice into diagonal pieces. 4. DEEP-FRY. In a pan, heat oil. Deep-fry kikiam until light brown. Drain excess oil using a strainer or colander.

Tip: You may skip deep-frying step and store cooled down homemade balls and kikiam in the freezer for up to three (3) months. You can produce and stock these tasty and satisfying snacks that can be deep-fried in just a matter of minutes.

Serve these homemade balls on barbecue sticks and kikiam on the side with SARSAYA® Sweet & Sour Sauce. SARSAYA® Sweet & Sour Sauce gives the right blend of sweet and sour with seasonings and spices that provides balance of flavors for our deep-fried homemade balls. Enjoy while hot. When you make these homemade balls on your own, you can avoid safety risks and get creative in how you serve these yummy treat.

For more yummy recipes and updates, follow our Facebook Page Cookmunity® by Ajinomoto Philippines and our website for more recipes and blogs.