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Friday, October 2, 2009

Braised Abalone

I made this dish during Chinese New Year this year. Yeah, it's that long ago.

My husband's friend gave him a few cans of abalone but unfortunately they were rather tough and bland. It's not nice to give them to our parents since we already know how it taste like. We can't throw them away too. I'll be send to Hell if I do that. So the best them to do it to try making them tastier. Well, braising the abalone did helps a lot. I have since kept the rest of the abalone for next year's Chinese New Year's dinner.


However I hesitated putting up this recipe. My husband commented that it's too costly and risky for anyone to try out this just with a recipe found on the Net. He is worried people who do try it will try to hunt me down and ask me to pay them a can of abalone. :P

Why did I put up this recipe now? Celine, a diner wrote on my chatbox yesterday asking for it as she wanted to make it for her mother-in-law's birthday. How sweet! How can I reject her? But please don't hunt me asking me for a refund, okay? All I can offer you is a can of tough and bland abalone. :P


Ingredients:
  • 4 Dried Scallop, soak for at least an hour
  • 4 Fresh Scallop (optional)
  • 1 handful Broccoli florets or other veggies
  • 6 Dried Mushroom, soak to soften
  • 1 canned Abalone (mine contains 1 1/2 abalone)
  • 1/2 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
  • 1/2 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine
  • Chicken Stock
  • Cornflour mixture (thickener)

Additional to taste:
  • 1-2 teaspoon Oyster Sauce
  • 1/2 - 1 teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
  • Rock sugar

How to do it:
  1. Place  mushroom with stalk removed, dried scallop and abalone in pot, preferably a claypot.
  2. Add in the water used to soak the dried scallop, oyster sauce, Chinese cooking wine and enough stock to cover all ingredients.
  3. Bring abalone pot to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
  4. Simmer for 45 minutes.
  5. While braising the abalone, blanch vegetable with a pot of water with a teaspoon of salt.
  6. Lay on a dish.
  7. If you are using fresh scallop, blanch it just before the abalone is ready.
  8. Before removing the braised ingredients, season with additional oyster sauce if necessary, dark Soy Sauce for colour and rock sugar to taste.
  9. Braise for another 15 minutes.
  10. Remove the braised abalone, mushroom and dried scallop, taking care not to break the dried scallop (like I did).
  11. Lay them on the dish with the vegetable.
  12. Drain the sauce remaining from the pot and reheat the sauce.
  13. When sauce begin to bubbles, gradually stir in the cornflour mixture to thicken the sauce.
  14. Pour sauce over abalone.
  15. Serve immediately.

Note:
  • You can also add in the liquid from the canned abalone. I didn't use mine as it didn't make a difference.
  • You can cut down cooking time by slicing the abalone instead braising it in whole.
  • I took much longer to braise the bland abalone. In my opinion, braising 1 hour for a regular mushroom is more than enough.
  • I use fresh chicken stock prepared a day before, by simmer a whole chicken in 2 litre of water for 4 hours.
  • If you are using chicken stock cube, you might want to omit adding the oyster sauce in the initial cooking as stock cube is seasoned.
There you have it, Celine. I hope your mother-in-law will like it. I would like to wish her a very Happy Birthday. And may happiness, health and good fortune be with her always.

Happy Wokking!

一品锅

13 comments:

  1. Thks ALOT for the recipe, I am truly grateful!

    I have 100% confidence in your recipe. I have tried many of your recipes with success and I am sure it will not be different this time.

    Warmest regards,
    Celine

    P/S - Even if I fail, I will not hunt you down, I depend on you for more of yummy delicious recipes, hehe!

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  2. wahhh abalone. the way you braise it, the abalone looks like those I ate at the restaurants... well done hehe :)

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  3. In order for canned abalone to be soft and tasty is to simmer the unopened can in a pot of hot water for 30 mins.

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  4. i really like your blog. Your recipes have been useful for reference by my domestic helper especially when I don't have time to cook. Looking forward to more recipes by you:)Tried out some of your recipes and they tasted great, though not cooked by me...oops..

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  5. look like restaurant abalone.. will try it :) hope u dont mind i peep ur recipe.. thanks alot..

    wawa

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  6. Whooo, that looks gorgeous, very inviting. Thanks for sharing all the world's best recipe.:)

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  7. Thanks for the recipe!!! Love it. Fresh or frozen local abalone is cheaper but will never give the same taste, flavor and texture as canned abalone. I love the flavor and taste of canned abalone and one day I want to eat abalone like 'abalone kings' do: braised in sauce and served whole, like a steak, washed down with a good white wine. Cut with a knife and fork of course. Meantime, it's still cheaper to slice abalone thinly and share with the family. I love this dish. It's such a special treat.

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  8. You've got the talent..
    i just buy a dried abalone,
    seahrcing all over the internet and gladly fin yours...

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  9. Just been diving and got a few fresh abalone and a lobster, it usually takes longer to prepare it than it does to catch it, sick to death of bashing abs, gonna try this braise.I'll let ya know what it turns out like. Also wondering what you pay for a can of abalone and what country.

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  10. I was given some abalone by my son.l would like to save them for a special occasion can they be frozen? Or cravated?
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    Replies
    1. How old is he? Abalone can be quite tough if not cooked properly. I'm not sure if your son is able to handle it.

      What we get here in Singapore are usually either canned or dried abalones which are rather expensive. So they are usually used when we are ready to cooked. If you are asking abt freezing fresh one, I'm not sure but they shd be able to be frozen.

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