Saturday, June 21, 2008

My oyster omelette and abalone

So at the encore of my niece, I made this oyster omelette this evening besides the steamed fish, fried vegetable, boiled snails and chicken...etc.  However, this time the oysters were a bit too big though it still tasted good.  So for one catty of oyster, I used 6 eggs and the 4 oz of "yam" powder (which aborbs the fluid of oyster), some salt, sugar, slight white pepper powder, sesame oil and a half bowl of chopped pasley (pasley is important as it will make the whole omelette smell so good).  The first I rinse the oyster with a lot of cornstarch (2-3 oz).  This way it will take away the oyster smell and it will softly cleanse the dirt of oyster.  For the big oyster, add some over-night rice in it and rinse it in one direction because oyster is too soft to be broken easily.  For me, I don't "fly" water (put it into the boiling water for about 30 seconds).  I think if we clean it with corn starch thoroughly, and then drain the oyster well.  No need to do that step to take away the original sweet flavour of oyster and the nutrition.  Then batter the egg with all the seasoning mentioned above (the chopped pasley should be put at the last).  Then use a filter to take away the unmelted yam powder to make it smoother.  Put the drained oyster into the egg and the pasley and stir it evenly.  Then time to pan fry it.  Normally when you see there's some hot steam coming out from the middle of the oyster, you can turn over it but you need to do it skillfully.  Don't break the omelette.  Then pan fry the other side until it got a bit brown.  

Then for the second photo, it's fresh abalone.  Pretty good price - HK$120 (US$15) for ten and they are all quite big.  So after cleansing the skirt and the bottom of the abalone.  Dry them all with clean towel.  Put them evenly on a flat plate.  Soak some Chinese (old time) dried tangerine peel an hour before.  Use a spoon to wipe away those white tissue one the peel's inside part (that part is important because those white tissue would smell not good and that it is "hot wet" for Chinese herbal medication).  Then cut it in thin slices and put them evenly on the abalone.  Steam it for 8 minutes for this size at high heat.  Don't steam too long as it would make the abalone hard to chew.  Meanwhile, prepare some scallion slices (cut vertically to make it look like flower shape; not about the beautiful shape as it will let the scallion aroma release more when later on we put the boiling hot oil on it).  After the abalone is done.  Put the scallion slices on the abalone evenly.  Then in another wok, heat some oil and carefully and evenly pour in the hot oil and make the scallion slices sizzling.  Then put a few drops of soy sauce over the abalone.  Done!

5 comments:

Stella said...

Oyster omelette and white rice fish omelette are my favorite dishes.
I really envy your niece and your sister. They get good meals all the times.

in the sea said...

not all times. only once every week or every other week, and if I am in HK. Can you get that white tiny fish in LA?

Stella said...

Yes we do have the big and tiny white rice fish in LA.
We eat this omelette every other week. Chris has to eat egg related dish every week. So all kinds of omelette. If not, then at least steamed egg with dried shrimp skin.

Anonymous said...

wow fresh abalone! you really can make some nice food. next time please make shark fin and i hope to go to your place for eating it.

in the sea said...

Good for the kids to have eggs, even everyday. There was a time I made some low cholesterol egg or omelette, by taking the york by half, say 4 eggs taken out 2 yorks.