Pictorial: Sauteed Scallop with Snowpeas

[hzrt8w]

Sauteed Scallop with Snowpeas (油泡帶子)

Cantonese style seafood is about bringing out the natural taste of the fresh ingredients. No heavy sauces. A simple dish of sauteed scallop with snowpeas and some straw mushrooms and bamboo shoots... A Cantonese seafood dish at its best!

Picture of the finished dish:

Serving Suggestion: 2 to 3

Preparations:

Main ingredients: (From top right, clockwise) About 3/4 to 1 lb of scallop, ginger (use 1 inch in length), garlic (use 3 to 4 cloves), straw mushrooms (canned), bamboo shoot slices (canned; use 1/2 can), and snowpeas (use 1/2 lb).

Some of these scallops are quite thick. Slice each scallop in half (horizontally).

Marinate the scallop: Scallops are quite delicate. Use minimal ingredients to marinate. Add sliced scallops to a mixing bowl. Add 1 tsp of cooking oil, 3/4 tsp of salt (or to taste), 2 tsp of corn starch. Mix all ingredients.

Set aside the mixture for about 30 minutes before cooking.

Peel and minced 3-4 cloves of garlic. Grate about 1 inch of ginger. Peel the unedible edges of the snowpeas (not shown).

Cooking Instructions:

Use a wok/pan, set stove to high. Add a generous 6 tblsp of cooking oil (or frying oil). Wait for a few minutes until the oil heats up before frying.

Add marinated scallops.

Velvet the scallops in oil until slightly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes total. Remove and drain excess oil.

Add 2 tblsp of cooking oil on pan. Wait until oil starts fuming. Add minced garlic and grated ginger. Stir. Add a pinch of salt (suggest: 1/4 tsp or to taste). Dash in 2 tsp of ShaoHsing cooking wine. Let it induce a quick flame.

Add 1/4 cup of chicken broth. Bring to a boil.

To minimize stir-frying time, I pre-heat the snowpeas in a microwave oven. Snowpeas cook very quickly. Place some water at the bottom of the dish and set for one minute at high. Likewise, pre-heat the canned straw mushrooms and bamboo shoot slices together for about 2 minutes at high.

Add the snowpeas, straw mushrooms and bamboo shoot slices to pan.

Stir well and cooking for a minute. Add corn starch slurry (suggest: 1 tsp of corn starch and 1 tsp of water mixed) to thicken the sauce to the right consistency.

Return the scallops.

Stir-fry for another minute until the scallops heat up.

Finished.

(Note: The quantity of food made in this recipe is about twice the portion shown in this picture.)

Variations:

You may prepare this dish with shrimp or squid, or a combination of any two or all three. The marination and cooking methods are the same.

Edited November 28, 2005 by hzrt8w (log)

[BarbaraY]

That looks delicious. I love scallops and snow peas.