Black Pepper Sauce Scallops (黑椒汁帶子, Hak1 Ziu1 Zap1 Daai3 Zi2)

This recipe was updated on 25 Jun 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

Black pepper sauce goes well with seafood, in this case scallops. I used frozen 60/80 scallops (60 to 80 scallops per pound/500 g.), but you can use fresh and/or larger sized scallops to make this dish. Scallops this sized don’t take long to cook, so use a hot wok and quickly stir fry to keep them tender.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

¾ lb.	350 g.	Scallops (帶子, daai3 zi2), 60/80 size
3	3	Dried bean curd stick (腐竹, fu6 zuk1), rehydrated and cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
1 lb.	500 g.	Zucchini (意大利青瓜, ji3 daai6 lei6 ceng1 gwaa1), quartered and cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
7.4 oz.	210 g.	One 15 oz. (425 g.) can whole peeled straw mushrooms (草菇, cou2 gu1), drained
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
		Oil for cooking

 

Sauce Ingredients

3 Tbs.	45 ml.	Lee Kum Kee brand black pepper sauce (黑椒汁, hak1 ziu1 zap1) or equivalent
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
2 tsp.	10 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
4 tsp.	20 ml.	Water

 

Equipment

		Garlic press
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

 

Lee Kum Kee Brand
Black Pepper Sauce
(黑椒汁, hak1 ziu1 zap1)

Preparation Instructions

1. If using frozen scallops, thaw them in a covered container in the refrigerator overnight. Remove the thawed or fresh scallops from the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
2. Pour boiling water over the dried bean curd sticks in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate for at least two hours or overnight. Discard the rehydration liquid and cut the bean curd sticks into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces.
3. Wash and cut the zucchini into quarters lengthwise, and then into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces.
4. Open and discard the liquid from the can of straw mushrooms.
5. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
6. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the Lee Kum Kee brand black pepper sauce or equivalent, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. In another small bowl, prepare the corn starch slurry by mixing the corn starch and water together.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat a wok or pan over high heat before adding oil. Add the scallops to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and quickly brown the outside. You may have to cook the scallops in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Transfer the scallops to a bowl.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the straw mushrooms. Stir fry the straw mushrooms and then remove them to the bowl with the scallops.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the bean curd stick pieces. Stir fry the bean curd stick pieces and then remove them to the bowl with the scallops.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the zucchini. Stir fry the zucchini to brown them. Add the bowl with the ginger and garlic, and then some oil to the mixture. Quickly stir fry all the ingredients until the ginger and garlic become fragrant. Add the contents of the bowl with the scallops back into the wok and stir fry all the ingredients together.
5. Add the sauce ingredients to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together. If more sauce is desired, add some liquid (stock or water) to the wok. Add the corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce and mix all the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish and serve with steamed rice.