Stir-fried Scallop with Mixed Crunchy Vegetables (CNY2019)

As I mentioned in my previous post, fishery products and vegetables are my families’ favourite food, so this fried scallop with crunchy vegetables is the best idea to combine these two. Kids in my family learnt to eat vegetable at a very young age and haven’t heard there were any vegetables they didn’t like. I think that’s because chefs in my family have made vegetables delicious.

Cantonese know how to make vegetables. Usually a quick fry with garlic or ginger can make vegetable tasty while keep the texture and nutrition. Frying is the key method of this recipe. But there are tips to make them equally crunchy. The selection of vegetables in this dish is crucial. I choose vegetables in different textures, but all taste sweet.

Serve 8

Ingredients –
Scallop, 250;
Lotus root, 200g;
Black fungus, 150g;
Sugar snap pea, 150g;
Red bell pepper, 50g;
Ginger, 10g;
Oyster sauce, 2tbsp;
Salt, 1/2tsp.

How to do –

1. Let’s prepare the ingredients first. Halve the scallops so that they can be cooked easily and all ingredients keep similar thickness;

2. Remove the string running along the top of the pod from the base to tip;

3. Lotus root peeled and sliced thinly, about 2 millimeter’s thick, cut into bite size; black fungus tore into bite size; red pepper cut into bite size; ginger peeled and sliced;

4. Now the vegetables need to be poached before frying. This can keep the crunchiness of the vegetable and also make sure they are fully cooked. In a soup pot, put in plenty of water and bring to boil, put in the lotus root and let them cook in water for 1 or 2 minutes till the water is boiling again, no need to cover the lid; drain and set aside; put in peas in boiling water till the peas turn darker green, drain; put in black fungus in boiling water, poach till the water boiling again, drain;

5. Now everything is ready. Heat 3 or 4 tablespoons of oil in hot pan in high heat, put in the scallops and pan-fry double sides till golden, set aside;

6. In the same pan, add a little more oil in, fry the ginger till fragrant in medium high heat;

7. Put in the lotus root slices and fry, add a little water if it’s too dry. Flip and fry for 1 minute;

8. Put in the snap peas and fry for 1 minute;

9. Put in the bell pepper and black fungus, keep flipping and frying for 1 minute;

10. Add 2tbsp of oyster sauce and a nip of salt. Don’t over-season. Scallop has natural saltiness and vegetables have natural sweetness;

12. Put in the scallops, keep flipping and frying in medium high heat till all ingredients are seasoned;

13. Serve hot right away.