Abalone dishes to greet lunar New Year
"W ITH Chinese New Year's coming, I'd like to request an abalone and mushroom recipe," asked an anonymous reader. Two abalone stir-fries follow - one with fresh or canned straw mushrooms, the other using dried shiitake or canned button mushrooms. A soupy abalone dish that incorporates dried shiitake, chicken and dried scallops, finishes a trio of abalone and mushroom pairings.
Stir-fried abalone and lettuce
From "Chinese Seafood" by Huang Su-Huei, Wei-Chuan publisher, 1984, $8.95Slice mushrooms in half lengthwise. In boiling water, blanch lettuce leaves; remove, drain and arrange on serving plate.1 cup sliced abalone
1-1/2 cups fresh straw mushrooms (or 1 can)
1 pound lettuce
2 tablespoons oil
6 pieces green onions, each 1 inch long
6 slices fresh ginger
Sauce ingredients:
6 tablespoons stock
1-1/3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1-1/3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugarHeat a wok, then add oil. Stir-fry green onions and ginger until fragrant. Add mushrooms and stir lightly. Mix sauce ingredients; add along with abalone to wok and stir quickly over high heat. Arrange abalone mixture on lettuce and serve.
Abalone and vegetables
From "Mary Sia's Chinese Cookbook"Cut abalone diagonally in thin slices. Soak mushrooms and remove stems. Squeeze mushrooms dry and slice.by Mary Sia, University of Hawai'i Press, 1972, $4
1 can abalone (16 ounces)
9 large dried mushrooms
2 cups chicken stock
3 water chestnuts, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup sliced bamboo shoot
2 tablespoons crushed fresh ginger
1 tablespoon chopped onion
4 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sherry
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons waterBring chicken stock, mushrooms, water chestnuts, bamboo shoot, ginger and onion to a boil and simmer until there is only 1 cup stock left. Add soy sauce, sherry and sugar. Bring to a boil, and add abalone and cornstarch/water mixture. Simmer 1 minute, stirring constantly. Makes 4 servings.
Variation: Can substitute 4-ounce can of whole button mushrooms (drained) for dried mushrooms, and a package of frozen peas for water chestnuts.
Vegetables with chicken and abalone
From "The New Chinese Cooking for Health and Fitness"Soak dried scallops in hot water 6 to 8 hours until soft. Use hands to crumble scallops into flakes.by Lydia Wang, Gakken, 1986
2 dried scallops
6 to 7 cups water
10 ounces chicken pieces with bone
1-inch piece spring onion
1 thin slice fresh ginger
1 pound Chinese cabbage, cut in bite-size pieces
4 dried mushrooms
1 ounce canned bamboo shoots, sliced thinly
1 piece canned abalone, sliced thinly
2 thin slices ham
1 tablespoon rice wine
2 teaspoons salt
Pinch sugarIn a soup pot, combine water, chicken, onion and ginger. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 1 hour, skimming off foam.
Soak dried mushrooms in warm water until soft and remove stems. Save mushroom-soaking water. Cut each mushroom diagonally into 2 or 3 pieces.
Remove and discard spring onion and ginger from chicken. Add cabbage, mushrooms, mushroom water and bamboo shoots. Simmer over low heat another 20 minutes.
Cut each ham slice into 6 to 8 pieces. To the soup pot, add abalone, scallops and ham. Season with rice wine, salt and sugar. Cook 5 to 10 minutes more. Makes 4 servings.
