Who Loves Fish Cake.....Besides Me?

One of my most favourite things to eat is fish cake (or fish paste)...which doesn't come as a surprise since I adore eating fish!  In my food outings, I've had the privilege of coming across (and eating) some really good fish cake.

When it comes to what constitutes a good fish cake, there are divided opinions...two schools of thought, if you may.  There are those who like them with a very springy texture while others prefer a more chewy, not too bouncy texture...I'm the latter.

One of my favourite fish cake comes from this shop, Yin Kee Fish Ball Noodles @ Jalan Pudu Ulu, specialising in fish ball noodles.  They obviously make their own fish balls and fish cake, both are by-products of their own-made fish paste...and they're both really good.

This fish cake is a cross between lightly springy and slightly chewy...and it's among one of the best fish cakes for me (I'd put this at the very top of my list).  We like to order this separately as a side snack.  The same fish cake is also cut into thin slices to be used in their fish ball noodles.

Another well-loved fish cake is the one from this yong tau foo/chee cheong fun shop, Yap Hup Kee @ Pudu.  It goes without saying that one of the best ways to use own-made fish paste is to make yong tau foo with it...and the fried fish cake is one of our favourite items (and also one of their costlier items) to order here.

I'm not sure if this qualifies as a 100% fish cake though as I feel it's far too tasty to be just fish paste alone. I've long suspected that there may be some pork in there.  The texture is more dense, not bouncy at all...and we absolutely love it (my family's favourite) irrespective if it's just fish or fish+pork! ;)

Next on the shortlist is one that will satisfy lovers of firm and bouncy fish cakes and it's the one from Ah Koong Restaurant @ Pudu.  It's a bit too bouncy (for me), a sign that the fish cake probably has too much flour in the mix though I don't mind eating it too.

I especially like the convenience of their vacuum-packed, ready-made ones that I can buy for use in some of my homecooked dishes.  It's something fast and easy to use that I rely on quite regularly at home.  I usually use them in a stir-fry with vegetables.

From a chee cheong fun stall located inside Kedai Makanan Red Leaf @ Jalan Loke Yew (now known as Piau Kee Kopitiam), I discovered another worthy fish cake.  I've not included this chee cheong fun stall in my reviews coz the taste is nothing worth mentioning but found that they were willing to make a fish cake for me on the spot.

So I grabbed the opportunity one day and took up their offer (and if I remember correctly, it cost me something like RM10).  The portion might look very little for the price coz it's pure fish paste + it deflated when it was served (by the way, it tasted terrific)! :O  I actually witnessed them taking a portion of pure fish paste and frying it in the wok where it puffed up looking like a 'real' fish cake before deflating (I'll let you in on a little secret/tip in my next post why this happened).

Straying a bit further from home to find another decent fish cake is the one in Tang Pin Kitchen @ SS2 PJ though we have not been there for a long time.  I remember their fish cake has a texture quite similar to Ah Koong's, maybe not as firm but still pretty springy.

There used to be one near me which offered a pretty good fish cake which we enjoyed (at dinner time) though the place has since closed but I'd mention it nonetheless since it deserved a place in my "fish cake list"...lol.

The texture is the springy type, but only slightly and certainly not overly bouncy, something along the lines of the ones in Tang Pin Kitchen.

And finally, closer to home, I've only found two choices, not great choices, but they'll have to do if I'm thinking of having fish cake.  One is from Tasty La La Noodles and the other, HoLiao Noodles, in my neigbourhood.

Perhaps I may have eaten some other good fish cakes which I can't remember but these were the five that stood out enough for me to remember...lol!  Yap Hup Kee (which my family loves) and Ah Koong (where I also buy their ready-made ones) are now the two places I frequent most for fish cakes although (personally) I think Yin Kee yields the best fish cake I've tasted so far but it's not a place I can eat regularly at as my family is not into fish ball noodles. :'(