Name: Fishball Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoon flour; 2 tablespoon cornstarch; salt and pepper; 6 tablespoon brown sugar; 6 cups water; 1/2 cup soy sauce; 2 red chili (chopped); 3 cloves garlic ( sliced)

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This homemade Fishball Sauce recipe is all you need for your favorite Filipino street food. Sweet and spicy, just like how our friendly street vendor “Manong” makes it!

It’s one of the day’s highlights when manong’s wooden cart passes through our street. Every kid and adult would crowd around the cart and help themselves with bamboo sticks to skewer fish balls or whatever they crave for.

Fish ball sauce is something that we grew up with and enjoyed. Whether it’s fish balls, kikiam, squid balls or kwek kwek, it’s the perfect dip for our beloved street food.

Ingredients you’ll need

Flour – All purpose flour is what I suggest you use for this recipe.
Cornstarch – This will help thicken the sauce.
Salt and Pepper – I will not give an exact measurement for these two. Add a dash at first and add more according to your taste.
Brown Sugar – You can also use white sugar but the color and the sweetness may differ because white sugar is sweeter.
Soy sauce – You can use light soy sauce too if you want.
Red chili – You can remove this if you’re not into spicy food or add more if you’re an adventurer! You can also use chili pepper flakes if you can’t find any bird’s eye chili or labuyo.
Garlic – Just slice them up and add them when the sauce is thick.

Authentic Manong’s Sauce

Sweet, spicy fish ball sauce is simple to make and every manong have their secret recipe. I created my own recipe when I made my homemade fish balls that you can also try. I am not exaggerating when I say that this is as close to the authentic sauce that we are familiar with.

You can make it under 10 minutes and with just basic ingredients. Unlike store-bought alternatives, homemade sauce allows you to control the ingredients, ensuring freshness, quality, and authenticity. Plus, you can tailor the flavors to suit your preferences, whether you prefer a tangy kick or a sweeter note. Try this fishball sauce recipe and let us know!

What to dip in fish ball sauce?

Kwek Kwek: Hard-boiled quail eggs coated in bright orange batter then deep-fried until crisp. Dip it in manong’s sauce or vinegar for full on flavor!
Kikiam: This Chinese-style street food is not complete without manong’s sauce or sweet chili sauce.
Cassava Balls: A healthier alternative to fishballs.
Squid balls and hot dogs are other great choices to dip in this tasty sauce,

Tips for making fish ball sauce

To serve, transfer the sauce in a jar with a wide opening or a small bowl and dip away!
If consuming at a later date, place sauce in an airtight container and refrigerate.
The sauce will keep good for up to 5 days.

Other sauce recipe you may like

While store-bought sauces are convenient, there’s something truly special about crafting your own homemade fish ball sauce. MIA