Sea Cucumber, Shrimp, and Chicken with Abalone Sauce (鮑魚醬海參蝦雞, Baau1 Jyu4 Zoeng3 Hoi2 Sam1 Haa1 Gai1)

Happy Lunar New Year! Sea cucumber is an ocean sea slug treasured for its texture and (supposed) medicinal properties, and is a special occasion ingredient. White sea cucumber is prized over the black sea cucumber, and I used it in this first recipe for Lunar New Year’s. Sea cucumber (either color) is itself tasteless, so the taste of the dish comes from the other ingredients. It is available either dried or frozen at your local Asian herb store (dried version) or Asian market (frozen). So there is some preparation work that must be done before sea cucumber can be used in a dish. I prefer the frozen version since all you have to do is thaw it the day before using it.

There are really two cooking techniques needed to make this dish: stir frying and braising. The chicken, shrimp, and snow peas need to be stir fried before the coin mushrooms and sea cucumber are braised in the sauce and mushroom rehydration liquid to generate the flavor for the dish. This dish is made with a lot of sauce, which is provided by the mushroom rehydration liquid, adding the necessary volume for this dish. Since this is a festive dish, abalone sauce and brandy is used to make the sauce, but you can use oyster sauce and Shaoxing wine (which I normally use to make sauces).

Meat and seafood is a classic combination in Chinese dishes. Usually the meat part of the combination is pork and you’ll find may recipes using various parts of the pig with sea cucumber (I want to try making pig’s feet and sea cucumber!). Chicken as the meat with sea cucumber is unusual, but it certainly is tasty.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

½ lb.	250 g.	White sea cucumber (海參, hoi2 sam1), rehydrated/thawed and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces (see notes)
½ lb.	250 g.	21/25 shrimp meat (蝦仁, haa1 jan4), shelled and deveined (see notes)
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
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)
½ lb.	250 g.	Chicken thigh or breast meat (雞肉, gai1 juk6), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Baking soda (蘇打粉, sou1 daa2 fan2)
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
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
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)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
½ lb.	250 g.	Snow peas (荷蘭豆, ho4 laan4 dau6)
24	24	Dried coin mushrooms (金錢菇, gam1 cin4 gu1), rehydrated
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces
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

2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Lee brand abalone sauce (鮑魚醬, baau1 jyu4 zoeng3) or equivalent (see notes)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Kim Ve Wong brand thick soy sauce (膏油醬, gou1 jau4 zeong3) 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.	Brandy (白蘭地, baak6 laan4 dei6) (see notes)
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Water

 

Equipment

14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan with lid

 

Lee Brand Abalone Sauce
(鮑魚醬, baau1 jyu4 zoeng3)

Preparation Instructions

1. Sea cucumber is available in the USA either dried or frozen. I used frozen, so thaw the frozen sea cucumber overnight in the refrigerator one day before cooking. Rehydrating dried sea cucumber takes a few days, so plan ahead if using this method. Take the sea cucumber out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking. Make a cut on one side the length of the sea cucumber and remove the intestines with your finger under running water. Cut the sea cucumber into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces.
2. If using frozen shrimp, thaw in the refrigerator overnight one day before cooking. Shell and devein the shrimp. Marinate the shrimp for at least one hour in the refrigerator with the ginger crushed in a garlic press, corn starch, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. Take the shrimp out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking. Use larger sized shrimp for this dish – I used 21/25, which means 21-25 shrimp per pound (500 g.).
3. Prepare the chicken thigh or breast meat by removing any skin or bones, and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces. Wet with water and add baking soda to the chicken, allow to tenderize for 15 minutes, and then wash the baking soda from the meat. The baking soda can be omitted but results in the tender meat experienced in restaurant dishes.
4. Marinate the chicken in a covered container for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator with the ginger and garlic crushed in a garlic press, corn starch, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. If marinating the chicken overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
5. Pour boiling water over the dried coin mushrooms in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate the mushrooms for at least one hour. Remove the coin mushrooms from the rehydration liquid and remove the stems. Reserve the rehydration liquid for later use in the cooking process.
6. Wash and remove the string from the snow peas by holding the snow pea in one hand and then pulling the end the length of the snow pea. For a better presentation, trim each end of the snow pea with a knife (optional).
7. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
8. Wash and cut the green onions into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces.
9. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the Lee brand abalone sauce or equivalent, Kim Ve Wong brand thick soy sauce or equivalent, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brandy, 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 chicken pieces to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and brown the outside. You may have to cook the chicken in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Set the chicken aside in a bowl.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the bowl with the ginger and garlic. Quickly stir fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant before adding more oil and then the snow peas. Add the shrimp to the wok and quickly stir fry the contents until the shrimp just turn pink. Remove the contents of the wok to the bowl with the chicken.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the coin mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms and then add the sea cucumber. Quickly stir fry the ingredients together before adding the sauce ingredients and the mushroom rehydration liquid to the wok. Mix the ingredients together, cover, and then lower the heat to simmer the ingredients for 10 minutes.
4. Uncover the wok, increase the heat to high, add the green onions and the contents of the bowl with the chicken back into the wok, and mix all the ingredients together. 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.

Notes

1. Black sea cucumber can be substituted and is more readily available than white sea cucumber.
2. Use larger sized shrimp. I used 21/25 shrimp, which means that there are 21 to 25 shrimp per pound (500 g.).
3. Oyster sauce can be substituted for abalone sauce.
4. Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry can be substituted for brandy.