5 (7 1/2-ounce) cans mexican abalone
8 oz shrimp
4 oz fat pork
4 oz water chestnuts, minced
1 pinch chives
1 ginger water, to taste (see note)
1 salt and msg
1 oz maize (corn) flour
4 oz chive and ginger oil (see note)
2 oz flour
3 eggs, beaten
5/8 oz shaoxing wine
6 oz chicken stock
Directions
The following four recipes are from a Chron article called "Foreign
Intrigue" by Alice Cuneo that featured recipes from various
consulates in the City. This first one is from the Consulate of the
People's Republic of China. It's a sophisticated (but uncomplicated)
banquet dish featuring abalone, shrimp and porkfat.
Abalone stuffed with minced shrimp, from Shen Xuliang of the Chinese
consulate.
Trim the abalone, removing rough parts, and cut into flat rounds. Chop
shrimp and fat pork to a paste consistency; stir in the water
chestnuts, chives and ginger water. Season with salt and MSG.
Create the abalone "sandwiches" by spreading an abalone round with
shrimp paste, then topping with another round. Dredge "sandwiches" in
maize flour and set aside.
Heat chive and ginger oil in a wok over medium heat, swirling the oil
to coat all sides of the wok.
Dip the abalone "sandwiches" in the flour, then in eggs. Fry in the
hot oil until abalone is tender and golden. Add Shaoxing wine,
chicken stock, salt and MSG. Bring to a simmer, adjust the seasonings
and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately.
NOTE: Chive and ginger oil is oil in which chives and ginger have
been cooked. To make at home, heat 4 ounces oil in a wok set over
medium heat. Toss in 1 or 2 tablespoons fresh snipped chives and 3
slices fresh ginger. Stir-fry until fragrant, then proceed with
recipe. (Remove ginger slices before serving.)
Ginger water is available in Chinese markets.
From the San Francisco Chronicle, 6/15/88.
Servings: 1 servings
Abalone Meuniere Mandarin Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Asian; Chinese; Fish; Seafood
The History of Recipes
It is possible to follow the history of `recipes` back into the distant past, in fact as far back as early Egypt, and potentially, even further back. Interesting though that maybe, in the main part, these old cookbooks were just primitive pictorial recipes for meal preparation.
In fact, the most ancient recipe discovered, according to Professor Solomon Katz, is a series of clay tablets in the Sumerian language which describe the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made anyone who tried it feel wonderful. Later on, in The time of the romans around 25BC a man called Apicius assembled a number of scripts showing how to cook the recipes cooked by wealthy roman citizens. In his scrolls, he recounts how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into appetizers, entrees and dessert, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. This early Roman chef tells us how the Romans made use of many different aromatic flavors, including a few that will be familiar to modern chefs like bay, fennel and asafoetida. Later, there are some interesting books which appeared in the fourteenth century - one book called `Forme of Cury`, and another named `Curye on Inglish`. Although the titles sound familiar, these two books are nothing to do with the curry that is served today, but instead accounts of the types of food on the menues of the rich people of the period. Later on in the 1400s, the Crusaders brought back a variety of foods and herbs from the holy lands, including spices like coriander, parsley, and rosemary. The introduction of these new herbs and spices led to a surge in publications on food, the majority of which are kept safe in private cookery archives. For the decades that followed, the powerful families of Wesstern Europe strove to offer the most extravagent meals, and consequentially the best chefs and their recipes were greatly in demand. Even so, it was during the 1800s that formal cookery and cookery books became popular. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, dedicated the best years of their lives to assembling, trying out, and publishing recipes to help cooks of their time. By the time we get to the 20th century, recipe publications were greatly in demand mostly as a result of better eduction, people having increased spare time and being a little richer. The arrival of television brought us TV chefs and the demand for the accompanying recipe books. Which brings us neatly up to date and the invention of computers and the internet, permitting everyone to search through massive numbers of recipes like those on sites such as this. |
We hope you enjoy this Abalone Meuniere Mandarin recipe.
