Lotus Pod Scallops
Korean-style lotus pod scallops, savory with a spicy kick and elegantly presented.
Ingredients
Scallops (deboned, gills removed, washed, drained, minced into a paste)
400 g
Chicken fat
40 g
Cooking wine
15 g
Salt
5 g
MSG
3 g
Starch (dry starch)
15 g
Egg whites
3
Green peas (clean, shaped into lotus seeds for garnish)
50 g
Shrimp roe
100 g
Chicken stock
500 ml
Spicy soy sauce (for dipping)
50 g
Instructions
1
Make the scallop paste
Mince the scallops into a fine paste. Stir in ginger water to form a thick, smooth mixture, mixing until it becomes elastic. Season with salt, MSG, and cooking wine. Add the egg whites and blend evenly, then fold in the chicken fat and dry starch until fully combined.
2
Make the shrimp-roe scallop paste
Stir the shrimp roe into four-fifths of the prepared scallop paste until evenly distributed. Portion the mixture into ceramic soup spoons.
3
Shape and steam
Press the remaining one-fifth of the scallop paste into a small ceramic bowl, mounding the center slightly and smoothing the edges lower. Press green peas into the top to mimic lotus seeds. Place the ceramic spoons and bowl together into a steamer and steam over rapidly boiling water for 7 minutes, then remove.
4
Plate the lotus pod
Arrange the steamed spoon-shaped portions around the outer edge of the serving plate like leaves, and place the lotus-seed-studded centerpiece in the middle so the whole composition resembles a single lotus pod.
5
Make the sauce
In a wok, combine the chicken stock, ginger water, and salt and bring to a boil. Thicken with wet starch to make a light, glossy sauce, then pour it evenly over the lotus pod.
6
Serve
Serve hot with the spicy soy sauce on the side for dipping.
