Oyster Sauce Green Bean Scallops (蠔油青豆角扇貝, Hou4 Jau4 Ceng1 Dau6 Gok3 Sin3 Bui3)

Cooking scallops in a wok needs to be done quickly, otherwise the scallops become tough if overcooked. So that means you need to use the scallops that are not cold (i.e. just taken out of the refrigerator), the highest setting available on your heat source, and the scallops should look undercooked after cooking in the wok. Ideally, small whole Shiitake mushrooms are paired with the scallops so that they visually match the size of the scallops, but if you don’t have Shiitake mushrooms the size of the scallops, just cut the Shiitake mushrooms into pieces. Finally the dish uses Japanese chilies for added flavor, which can be purchased at your local Mexican market. Japanese chilies provide more flavor than spiciness to a dish and the amount to use is a personal preference, so feel free to increase or decrease the amount (or omit) from the dish. Dried red chilies can be used if you really like more spiciness (heat) in your dishes.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

¾ lb.	375 g.	Scallops (扇貝, sin3 bui3)
1 lb.	500 g.	Green string beans (青豆角, ceng1 dau6 gok3), cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
10	10	Small dried whole Shiitake mushrooms (冬菇, dung1 gu1), rehydrated
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces on the diagonal
6-12	6-12	Dried Japanese chili peppers (日本指天椒, jat6 bun2 zi2 tin1 ziu1), optional and to taste, cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) 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 Kum Kee brand Premium Oyster Flavored Sauce (蠔油, hou4 jau4) 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)
1 Tbs.	15 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

Preparation Instructions

Lee Kum Kee Brand
Premium Oyster Flavored Sauce
(蠔油, hou4 jau4)

1. If using frozen scallops, thaw in a covered container overnight in the refrigerator. Take the scallops out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
2. Pour boiling water over the small dried whole Shiitake mushrooms in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate the mushrooms for at least one hour. Remove the Shiitake mushrooms from the rehydration liquid and remove the stems. Ideally the whole Shiitake mushrooms are about the same size as the scallops, but if Shiitake mushrooms of this size are not available, cut the Shiitake mushrooms into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces. Reserve the rehydration liquid for later use in the cooking process. If you need to rehydrate the Shiitake mushrooms quickly, use the method described here: Technique: How to Quickly Rehydrate Dried Shiitake Mushrooms (冬菇, Dung¹ Gu¹).
3. Wash and cut the green string beans into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces.
4. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
5. Remove any stems from the dried Japanese chili peppers, cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces, and place into a small bowl. The amount of Japanese chili peppers to use in this dish depends upon personal taste and is optional, so feel free to reduce or increase the amount.
6. Wash and cut the green onions into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces on the diagonal.
7. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the Lee Kum Kee brand Premium Oyster Flavored 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 stir fry quickly. The scallops should look undercooked. 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 Shiitake mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms and then transfer to the bowl with the scallops.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the fried tofu. Stir fry the fried tofu and then transfer to the bowl with the scallops.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the Japanese chilies. Brown the Japanese chilies before adding the green string beans to the wok. Stir fry to brown the green string beans. Add the bowl with the ginger and garlic mixture to the wok, and then some oil to the mixture. Quickly stir fry all the ingredients until the ginger and garlic become fragrant. Add the green onions and 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 of the mushroom rehydration liquid 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 Clay Pot or steamed rice.