Braised Sea Cucumber with Abalone Sauce
Rich and savory abalone sauce coats tender sea cucumbers in this classic Chinese banquet dish, elegant and flavorful.
Ingredients
11 items- Soaked sea cucumber (rehydrated) 4 pieces
- Chicken broth 500 ml
- Oyster sauce 20 g
- Dark soy sauce 5 g
- Rock sugar 10 g
- Ginger 1 piece
- Spring onion 2 stalks
- Cooking wine 1 tablespoon
- Cornstarch 10 g
- Broccoli 100 g
- Wolfberries (garnish) a pinch
Nutrition
Steps （10 steps）
Cut the rehydrated sea cucumbers open from the bottom, remove internal organs and sand mouth, rinse under running water, and drain.
Bring a pot of water to a boil with ginger slices, scallion sections, and 1 tbsp cooking wine. Blanch sea cucumbers for 1 minute, then drain.
In a separate small pot, combine chicken broth, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, rock sugar, ginger, and scallion. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes to infuse flavors.
Add the blanched sea cucumbers to the broth mixture. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes, turning once halfway, to allow even absorption of sauce.
Remove the braised sea cucumbers and arrange them on a serving plate. Keep the broth in the pot over low heat.
Stir the cornstarch slurry well, then slowly pour it into the broth while stirring rapidly, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
Pour the thickened abalone sauce evenly over the sea cucumbers, ensuring each piece is well glazed.
Blanch broccoli florets in boiling water until just tender (about 1 minute), drain, and arrange around the sea cucumbers as garnish.
Sprinkle a pinch of chopped scallions and wolfberries on top to enhance the dish's appearance.
Serve the dish immediately while hot, presenting it as a magnificent centerpiece.
Tips
1. Rehydrating sea cucumbers is key: soak in purified water for 48 hours in the fridge, changing water several times. Clean thoroughly after rehydration. 2. Abalone sauce can be homemade or use premium canned abalone sauce; homemade requires dried abalone, ham, and old chicken simmered for hours. 3. Simmer sea cucumbers over low heat for best flavor absorption. 4. The thickening should be light; the sauce should flow but coat a spoon.
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