Thursday, April 22, 2010

Braised Sea Cucumber with Pork Belly & Mushrooms

Ingredients
3 large soaked sea cucumber - rinsed and cut into big pcs
1 lb pork belly - parboiled and cut into big pcs
8 dried mushrooms - soaked to soften and stem removed

4 slices of ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced shallot
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
cornstarch solution
cooking oil

Seasonings for pork belly
1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1/4 tsp pepper

For sauce (combine)
1 cup chicken stock (or water if not available)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tbsp thick soy sauce
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper

Method
  1. Marinate pork belly with dark soy sauce and pepper. Set aside for 30 mins.
  2. Heat up a wok and add 1 tbsp of oil. Add 2 slices ginger and stir fry for a while.
  3. Add sea cucumber and stir fry for a while more.  Drizzle rice wine and stir-fry quickly for a few minutes.
  4. Remove the sea cucumber from wok and set aside.
  5. With remaining oil in wok, stir fry shallots and garlic until fragrant.
  6. Add remaining ginger slices, pork belly and mushrooms and stir-fry for a few minutes.
  7. Pour in sauce ingredients and return the sea cucumber to the wok.
  8. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook under low heat for 30 minutes or until sea cucumber and pork belly are tender.
  9. Add the green vegetables to the wok. Cover for about 2 mins.
  10. Stir in some cornstarch solution to thicken the sauce.  Serve warm.
How to treat dried sea cucumber
Wash and soak the dried sea cucumber overnight. Pour away the water and wash the sea cucumber. Add enough water in a pot to cover them. Add some ginger slices to remove the fishy odour. Bring the water to a boil. After boiling for about 10 mins, pour the water away and add in fresh cold water to soak them again. Continue the procedure for another 2 days. By the 3rd day, the sea cucumber should have expanded to several times its original size and becomes soft again. Drain and keep in the freezer until ready to use.