Mum’s Versatile Minced Filling Recipe
- Daniel
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
This is one of those recipes that never really had a name growing up. It was just “the filling.” My mum would make a big bowl of it, and over the next few days, it would quietly turn into meatballs, dumplings, wantons, or ngoh hiang, depending on what we felt like eating. It was practical cooking: no labels, no written-down measurements, just experience and instinct.
Across many Chinese households, there is a similar concept of a multi-purpose minced mixture that combines meat with seafood, aromatics, and binders to create that signature springy texture people often call “QQ.”
It reflects a Southern Chinese and Southeast Asian way of cooking where efficiency matters. One base mixture can transform into multiple dishes, reducing waste and saving time while still feeling like completely different meals.
Ngoh Hiang...
What I appreciate now is how thoughtful this kind of cooking really is. The addition of shrimp and fish is not about luxury. It is about texture and balance. Water chestnuts add crunch. Mushrooms bring depth.
Everything has a role. If you enjoy making dumplings, meatballs, or stuffed dishes, this is one of those foundational recipes worth trying at least once because it opens the door to many others.
Ingredients:
Dried Mushrooms, 4
Shrimp, About 600g
Baking Soda, 1 TSP
Mackeral / Halibut / Cod / Tilapia, 150g
Water Chestnuts, About 400g
Minced Beef, 300g
Minced Pork, 300g
Light Soy Sauce, 2 TBSP
Oyster Sauce, 1.5 TBSP
ShaoXing / Hua Tiew Wine, 1 TBSP
Sesame Oil, 1 TBSP
Egg, 1
Sea Salt, 10g
Chinese 5 Spice Homemade, 2 TSP
Garlic Powder, 1/2 TSP
Ginger Powder, 1/2 TSP
White Pepper, Pinch
Cornstarch, 2 TBSP
Scallions Green Parts Coarsely Chopped, A Handful
Directions:
Please visit my "How To Make Chinese 5 Spice" page for the recipe.
Prepare the dried mushrooms
Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water until fully softened.
Squeeze out excess liquid, remove the stems, and finely dice.
Reserve the soaking liquid for later.
Prepare the shrimp
Peel and devein the shrimp, then rinse well.
Toss them with baking soda. Cover with cold water and ice cubes. Let sit to firm up the texture, about 30 minutes.
Rinse thoroughly again, then chop repeatedly with a cleaver until it becomes a sticky paste.
It should weigh about 250g.
Prepare the fish
Chop the fish finely in the same way until it turns into a smooth paste.
Keeping some skin is fine and adds flavor.
Prepare the water chestnuts
Peel and rinse, then pulse in a food processor until finely chopped.
They should be small bits, not a puree. This gives the filling its crunch.
It should weigh about 250g.
Combine everything
Place the shrimp paste, fish paste, mushrooms, water chestnuts, minced beef, and minced pork into a large bowl.
Add the seasonings, egg, cornstarch, and 2 TBSP of the mushroom soaking liquid.
Mix until it becomes sticky and cohesive
Use your hand to mix in one direction, almost like kneading.
Continue until the mixture tightens, becomes slightly bouncy, and holds together.
Rest the mixture
Let it sit briefly so the flavors absorb and the proteins bind. Best covered and marinated in the fridge overnight.
Use as desired
Shape into meatballs, wrap into dumplings or wantons, form into rolls, or pan fry as patties.
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