Fried Abalone and Pigeon Eggs
A Korean-style dish featuring abalone and pigeon eggs as core ingredients, first boiled then fried to a golden crisp, with a crunchy exterior and tender interior, served with sesame salt and chili sauce for dipping.
Story
This crispy, golden fried dish draws inspiration from Korean culinary traditions, pairing the rich, briny taste of abalone with the soft, delicate flavor of pigeon eggs. Cooked to strike a perfect balance between a caramelized, crunchy outer layer and a juicy, tender inside, it makes for a satisfying appetizer or side, best enjoyed with a side of fragrant sesame salt or zesty chili sauce for dipping.
Ingredients
abalone meat (washed, fuzzy edges removed, crosshatch cuts made on both sides, large ones split in half with a slant cut, small ones left uncut)
400g
pigeon eggs (washed, cooked in clear water, soaked in cold water, outer shells removed)
15 pieces
chicken stock (for cooking abalone)
1kg
egg white (mixed with cornstarch to make egg white batter)
4 pieces
salt
10g
cooking wine
25g
cornstarch (for coating abalone and pigeon eggs)
25g
peanut oil (for frying)
500g (actual consumption 75g)
sesame salt
25g
chili sauce
10g
Instructions
1
Prepare abalone
Wash the abalone, remove the fuzzy edges, score both sides with straight crosshatch cuts, cut the larger ones in half with oblique cuts, and leave the smaller ones whole.
2
Prepare pigeon eggs
Wash the pigeon eggs, boil them in clean water until cooked, soak in cold water, peel off the shells, place in a plate, and coat evenly with salt to infuse flavor.
3
Make egg white batter
Mix egg white with cornstarch to form an egg white batter.
4
Cook the abalone
Pour chicken stock into a pot, bring to a boil, add the abalone, simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes until the abalone is fully cooked through, remove from the pot, drain off all the stock, place on a plate, and set aside for frying.
5
Deep-fry the abalone
Pour peanut oil into a deep fryer, heat to 60-70% of its maximum temperature, coat the abalone evenly with cornstarch first and toss to mix well, then coat evenly with the egg white batter, put into the oil and deep-fry until golden brown, remove, drain excess oil, and place on a large round plate.
6
Deep-fry the pigeon eggs
Heat the deep fryer to 80% of its maximum temperature, coat the pigeon eggs with cornstarch, put them into the hot oil, deep-fry until golden brown, remove, drain excess oil, and arrange around the plate of fried abalone.
7
Serve
When serving, bring a small dish of sesame salt and a small dish of chili sauce each, dip the fried items in the sauces before eating, and enjoy.
