Scallop and Asparagus Stir-fry (蘆筍炒帶子). This is a dish fit to grace any dinner table not just a Chinese banquet. Scallops and asparagus are two very luxurious ingredients, so it is important that they are the stars of the show. As with any recipe try to use the freshest, highest quality ones you can find. The other ingredients are there to complement and enhance this fabulous dish.
The dish combines the classic Cantonese combination of savoury, sweetness, and the salty, umami flavours of fermented ingredients such as black beans or soy sauce. You will find authentic Cantonese recipes are so much lighter in style than the average Chinese takeaway dish. This is a perfect example of crisp, colourful vegetables and succulent plump scallops served in tasty oyster sauce.
Cantonese Cuisine
Cantonese cooking is one of the great cuisines of China and stir-frying is a key cooking technique. With stir-fries it’s important not to use too much oil so that the finished dish is greasy. Often you will see Chinese chefs adding a splash of water or stock to a hot wok to help steam the vegetables to aid quick cooking. A little extra toasted sesame oil can then be added at the end of cooking to add extra flavour and to give the finished dish an attractive shine.
The main base ingredients in Cantonese cooking are sesame oil, soy sauce, Chinese rice wine, salt and sugar. Flavour is added using scallions or spring onions, ginger, garlic, black pepper, a little chilli and Chinese Five Spice powder. Cantonese chefs also like the intense flavours you get from dried or fermented ingredients like dried sausage or shrimp, salted fish and fermented black beans.
My Scallop and Asparagus Stir-fry Top Tips
I use a few techniques to raise this dish to the next level. I like to include carrot and pepper to the recipe to add more texture and colour to the dish. To ensure the vegetables remain bright and colourful I blanch them in boiling salted water and quickly refresh them in iced water. In the the stir-fry it is important not to overcook them, just finishing the cooking and coating in the sauce.
I cook my scallops separately to stop them from steaming in the wok and to give them the lovely, caramelised crust. I’m not confident enough to cook them in the wok without them going chewy and I like the finish from pan-frying them. I always try to use local Jersey diver-caught scallops which are sustainable. Finally, I cut the garlic into thin slices and the ginger into very fine, thin strips rather than pureeing them which adds more levels of flavour to the dish. I think this recipe is so tasty, enhanced with the oyster sauce, all it needs is some simple plain rice. Enjoy.
Scallop and Asparagus Stir-fry (蘆筍炒帶子)
Ingredients
- 16 Hand-dived Scallops cleaned and trimmed
- 1 bunch Asparagus cut in slices
- 100 gr Baby Corn cut in pieces
- 1 small tin Water Chestnuts thinly sliced
- 2 medium Carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 medium Onion peeled and cut chunks
- 1 Red Pepper de-seeded and cut into pieces
- 100 ml Oyster Sauce
- 50 ml Vegetable Oil
- 25 ml Shaoxing Rice Wine
- 25 ml toasted Sesame Oil
- 4 cm piece Ginger peeled and cut into very fine strips
- 2 cloves Garlic peeled into thin slices
- Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
Equipment
- 1 Wok
- 1 Large heavy-bottomed Frying Pan
- 1 Sieve
Instructions
- Heat a large pan of water until boiling and add five grammes of salt. Add the asparagus and baby corn and boil for one minute. Strain immediately and plunge into ice-cold water until thoroughly chilled. Drain again and set aside.
- Heat a splash of the vegetable oil in a wok and add the garlic and ginger. Stir for one minute and add the onion and pepper. Add a couple of tablespoons of freshly boiled water and cook stirring constantly for a couple of minutes until the onion starts to soften.
- Add the water chestnuts, asparagus, baby corn and a drop more water and cook for two more minutes then add the Shaoxing wine and the oyster sauce and turn the heat down to a gentle simmer.
- Heat the remaining oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over a high heat and then sauté the scallops for a minute until caramelised and brown. Season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper then flip over and cook the other side.
- Add the scallops and sesame oil to the vegetables and oyster sauce and toss together. Correct seasoning with more black pepper if required and serve.
Notes
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