By Request Betty Shimabukuro

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Old-time oyster recipe
stirs up tasty memories

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Douglas Tom and I have been recipe-testing via e-mail, our aim being Hou See Soong, a Chinese stir-fry made with dried oysters that's served spooned onto lettuce leaves.

Tom said he hadn't seen the dish on a menu in 20 or 30 years. I'd never heard of it, but there's nothing like a mystery.

This is apparently a dish from another generation; you won't find it in contemporary cookbooks. But I did find a few dried-oyster recipes in "Chinese Home Cooking," a YWCA cookbook first printed in 1941, and sent those to Tom.

He took that information, consulted friends who remember the dish, dug deep into his own memory and came up with a version for a dinner party. "I'm glad to report that my friends enjoyed it," he said, and forwarded his recipe.

What follows is the result of both our efforts. It's not difficult or fancy, but the oysters give the dish an intriguing smoky flavor. And the lettuce-leaf wrap makes it fun to eat.

Note that dried oysters are available in several grades. I used a medium grade that sells for $7 to $8 per half-pound bag.

Hou See Soong

4 ounces dried oysters
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 pound ground pork
2 large dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked, finely diced
1/4 cup EACH minced bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, celery and green onion
Cilantro leaves, for garnish
1/8 to 1/4 cup of crushed roasted peanuts (optional)
Lettuce leaves
Hoisin sauce, for dipping (optional)
>> Sauce:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons sherry
2 tablespoons soaking water from oysters
1 tablespoon sugar

Soak oysters in water at least 6 hours, or overnight. Drain well, reserving 2 tablespoons of soaking water. Remove any stringy parts, then dice.

Combine sauce ingredients; set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet or wok. Add ginger and stir-fry until fragrant. Add pork and stir-fry until no longer pink. Stir in diced oysters, then bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, celery and green onion. Add sauce; stir-fry 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serve on a platter, garnished with cilantro and peanuts, with lettuce on the side. Spoon mixture onto a lettuce leaf, roll up and dip in hoisin. Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving, without hoisin or peanuts: 270 calories, 17 g total fat, 5 g saturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 120 mg sodium, 10 g carbohydrate, 18 g protein.

Can you help?

A couple of correspondents are in search of sweet treats. if you have a tried-and-true recipe, please get in touch through one of the means listed below:

>> Nicole McRae wants recipes for taro cheesecake and strawberry haupia pie.

>> Fran Setsu yearns for a chocolate-chip cornflake cookie that she hasn't been able to find since leaving Hawaii.

Send queries along with name and phone number to:
"By Request," Honolulu Star-Bulletin,
500 Ala Moana, No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813.
Or send e-mail to bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com

Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the Body & Soul section indicates calculations by Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts, a nutritional consulting firm.