Tofu-wrapped pork and fish sausages

Kekiam

By: Yasmin Newman
From: 7000 Islands
Serves: 4
Photographer: Jana Liebenstein

My cousin, Ace, loves street food. In the afternoon, he snacks on steamed sio pao. Before dinner, he heads off for a fix of skewered fish balls. And late into the night, he knows which vendors are still open selling fried kekiam. In the Philippines, kekiam are not often made at home, despite being relatively easy to prepare. The flavoursome filling combining pork and fish is processed to a paste, which produces a springy texture comparable to Thai fish cakes. Look for bean curd sheets or tofu ‘skin’ at Asian grocery stores.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
4	garlic cloves, roughly chopped
4	spring onions, roughly chopped
250g	minced pork
250g	strong-flavoured firm-fleshed white fish, roughly chopped, such as wahoo
3 teaspoons	sugar
1 teaspoon	sesame oil
3 tablespoons	cornflour
2 teaspoons	salt flakes
1/2 teaspoon	freshly cracked black pepper
4	large bean curd sheets
	vegetable oil, for deep-frying
	Sweet and sour sauce, to serve

Method

To make the filling, put the garlic and spring onion in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add the pork, fish, sugar, sesame oil, cornflour, salt and pepper and process to a paste.
Fill a large bowl with boiling water, dip the curd sheets to soften, then dry with paper towel.
Working with one sheet at a time, place one-quarter of the filling along one short end to form a 22 cm sausage. Roll over, fold in the sides, then roll up to enclose the filling.
Fill a large deep saucepan or wok one-third full of water and place a bamboo steamer with a tight-fitting lid on top. Bring to the boil over medium–high heat. Steam the kekiam for 20 minutes, or until cooked through. Cool slightly
Fill a large deep saucepan one-third full of vegetable oil and place over medium–high heat until the oil reaches 180ºC. Deep-fry the kekiam, in batches, for 30 seconds, or until the skin puffs. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towel and cool slightly. Thickly slice the kekiam and serve warm with sweet and sour sauce.

Where does it come from?

There is little documented about the origins of kekiam (also kikiam and quekiam), but it is believed to be Chinese inspired. Different fillings exist, including pork and prawn, and pork and vegetables.