Abundance of Joy Abalone (????)

The busy Chinese New Year period is finally over. I?ll be posting the remaining recipes of what I?d cooked for my Reunion Dinner, like this Abundance of Joy Abalone (????).



I?m a big fan of Abalone, be it dried or fresh. Calmex is the only brand vivid in my memory from childhood. My mum swears by this brand & this is a gift from her. Because Calmex is canned with only the best wild Abalone from Mexico, quantity is limited & it?s the most expensive brand of can Abalone. Prices for this brand have gone up to about S$130/can this year!

So is there a proper way of cooking Abalone? I know a lot of people just open up the can & then cook the Abalone & the stock. But the correct way is actually cooking with the can unopened. I've learnt this method many years ago from some Abalone specialists & also by reading articles. Since then, I've been using this method to preserve the Abalone's original taste & texture.



Ingredients:

1 can of Abalone

5 Flower mushrooms

1 pkt Spinach

1 tsp Garlic (minced)

3 slices of Ginger (shredded)

1 tsp Oyster sauce

1 tsp Chinese wine

2 tsp Cooking oil

1 tbsp Cornstarch

Pinch of salt



Marinade for Mushrooms:

½ tsp Oyster sauce

1 tsp Sesame oil



Method:

Soak mushrooms till soft. Remove stem & marinade for at least 30 mins.
Wash vegetables well & cut into edible lengths. Set aside.
Boil unopened can of Abalone for 30 min ? 2hrs in hot water. 30 min is sufficient but if you want the Abalone stock to be really rich & fragrant, leave it to boil for 2hrs if you've time. Cool before opening the can.
Cut Abalone into slices & start placing them neatly in a bowl. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp oil & sautéed ½ tsp garlic till fragrant. Add mushrooms & fry well. Dish up.
Heat 1 tsp oil & sautéed ½ tsp garlic, then ginger till fragrant. Add spinach, salt & add 2 tbsp of Abalone stock. Fry well. Dish up some veg & put inside the bowl with Abalone slices. Press down hard & turn bowl upside down onto serving plate.
Place 1 mushroom on top of Abalone & the rest on the sides of plates. Roll the balance spinach & put them between the mushrooms.
Heat half the stock & add oyster sauce, sesame oil & wine. When boiling, add cornstarch & stir well. Drizzle the sauce over the dish & you?ll get a beautiful Abundance of Joy Abalone (????)!


* I left some stock in the can for making another dish - Braised Shark?s Fin with Conpoy (??????). Check it out!