Embroidered Scallop Balls
Shaped like a hydrangea, with a tender, juicy bite—savory yet light, sweet and silky smooth.
Ingredients
rehydrated dried scallops
150 g
large shrimp meat
200 g
fatty pork
150 g
winter bamboo shoots
25 g
spinach hearts
25 g
egg white
1
fine salt
6 g
MSG
4 g
clear soup
250 g
wet cornstarch
25 g
sesame oil
4 g
Shaoxing wine
6 g
Instructions
1
Prepare the scallop threads
Squeeze the dried scallops to remove excess water and tear them into fine threads. Cut the ham, winter bamboo shoots, and winter mushrooms into centimeter-long fine threads, blanch them in boiling water in a wok, then remove and drain well. Combine with the scallop threads and set aside.
2
Make the filling and form the balls
Chop the large shrimp meat and fatty pork into a fine paste. Add the egg white, clear soup (50 g), fine salt (3 g), MSG (2 g), Shaoxing wine (2 g), scallion-ginger juice, and sesame oil (1 g), and mix well to form a filling. Squeeze the filling into balls about 2.5 cm in diameter, then roll each ball in the mixed scallop threads until evenly coated, shaping them into little embroidery balls. Arrange the balls on a plate and steam over high heat until just cooked through (about 5 minutes). Remove from the steamer and drain off any liquid.
3
Make the glossy sauce
In a wok, combine the remaining clear soup with fine salt (2 g), Shaoxing wine (2 g), and MSG (1 g) and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam, then thicken with the wet cornstarch to make a glossy sauce. Stir in the sesame oil (1 g) and pour the sauce evenly over the steamed scallop balls.
4
Stir-fry the spinach and serve
Wash the spinach hearts and drain well. Heat some peanut oil in a wok, add the spinach hearts, and stir-fry briefly. Splash in 2 g of Shaoxing wine, then add fine salt (1 g) and MSG (1 g) and stir-fry until just tender. Drizzle with a little sesame oil, then arrange the spinach hearts around the embroidered scallop balls on the serving plate.
