Shrimp Balls in Miso Broth

I often think of my time in California, where I spent a great deal of my childhood in a Chinese restaurant in Redwood City. My mother was good friends with the owners, Paul and Ann Chin. I was five, six, and seven years old when I ran around the dining room and the kitchen. The chefs spoke mostly Cantonese but were very kind to me. They showed me how to make wontons and shrimp jioa zi. I also had all the pork fried rice I could eat. In the back room was a space for games, a place where locals came to play video games and ping pong tournaments (I am not kidding) and for Paul and Ann's parents to play sevens and mahjong with their friends. It's here that I learned that soybeans were delicious, and that shrimp can take on many forms. 

Here's a recipe for a dish I made the other night--shrimp balls in miso broth with seaweed, garlic and spinach.

for shrimp balls:

1 lb large shrimp
1 egg yolk
1 tbs cornstarch
2 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste

for broth:
miso paste
water
fresh baby spinach
garlic cloves
dried seaweed (nori)

Pulse the shrimp meat in a food processor fitted with the chopping blade about 10-15 times. Then add the egg, cornstarch, ginger, salt, and pepper and pulse again until incorporated. Chill for 30 minutes.  Form "meatballs" out of the shrimp mixture and set aside. 

In a pot, take 1 quart of water, heat it to just before boiling, and add 3 tbs miso paste (white is good, but you can use any kind). Add garlic (about 4 cloves smashed) and add the nori (as mush as you'd like) and let soften. Throw in a handful of spinach (I like the flavor it adds, plus the extra vitamins). Let simmer for 10 minutes. Add the shrimp balls and simmer for 10-15 more minutes. Finish with scallions.