PUCHONG, Sept 11 — With fish balls, finding ones with the right balance is the ultimate. Ideally, they must be soft with a slight bounce, achieved by beating the fish paste many times.

You don't want those that mimic a ping pong ball though – a sure sign that borax powder is present.

This particular stall run by a young man in Puchong sells handmade fish balls that are soft with a slight elasticity.

It's easy to spot this stall as it is located right in front of a corner coffeeshop. The table nearby with trays of fish balls drying in the sun is also a dead giveaway.

The fish balls are made daily and served with your noodles. These don't look anything like the round-shaped fish balls we are familiar with but more square shaped as they seem to have flattened with gravity.

While the shape may not appeal, it's the taste that matters. According to the owner, he uses a fish known as dou fu yu in Mandarin or the redbelly yellowtail fusilier.

This gives it a softer texture compared to say the more popular Spanish mackerel. You will find that the fish cake is also different with a softer bite.

You can order your noodles for RM7 and it's a choice of dry or with soup. For the dry version, you will get a bowl of your choice of noodles tossed with soy sauce and minced pork. On the side, there will be a bowl of broth with fish balls, a piece of fish maw and sliced fish cake.