Eight Treasures Pen Cai 八宝盆菜 (Special Chinese New Year Dish)

🧂 Ingredients

• 6-8 fresh shiitake mushrooms

  or dried shiitake mushrooms
• 100 g broccoli
• 100 g long cabbage
• 6-8 tiger prawns
• 6-8 canned mini abalones

  1 can
• 6-8 fresh scallops
• 200 g roast pork
• 200 g smoked duck meat
• 300 g sea cucumber

  already hydrated
• 1 carrot
• 4 tbsp canned abalone brine

  season to taste
• 1 tbsp Chinese wine

  shao xing or hua diao
• ¼ tsp white pepper powder
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp corn starch

  mixed with 1 tbsp water
• 3 cups water

  or use 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 lot prawns shells

Instructions

• 1 Wash 6-8 fresh shiitake mushrooms. Trim off the stems. Then make cross cuts on
  the mushrooms (for decorative purpose).
  
  Note: You can also used dried shiitake mushrooms. Simply hydrate the mushrooms
  by soaking it in warm water for about 15-30 minutes until they turn soft, then
  trim off the stems and make cross cuts on the mushrooms.
• 2 Wash and cut 100 g broccoli into smaller bite sized pieces.
• 3 Cut 100 g long cabbage into sections about 1.5 inch thickness.
• 4 Soak the cut cabbage in water for about 10 minutes. Then remove and set aside.
• 5 Use a vegetable peeler to peel off the skin of 1 carrot. Slice the carrot
  thinly. Then use a flower shaped cookie cutter and cut flower shapes out of the
  carrot slices.
• 6 Slice 200 g smoked duck meat into half an inch thickness.
  
  If it's taken out of the fridge, heat it up in a microwave or oven first.
• 7 Slice 200 g roast pork into half an inch thickness.
  
  If it's taken out of the fridge, heat it up in a microwave or oven first.
• 8 Wash 6-8 tiger prawns. Then trim off the whiskers and legs of the prawns, but
  keep the head and shell on.
• 9 For the 300 g sea cucumber, if it's already hydrated, rinse under tap water to
  remove any debris or dirt hidden in the fold. Then cut into an inch thick.
• 10 Boil a handful of 1 lot prawns shells with 3 cups water for 15 minutes over
  medium heat.
  
  Once boiled, remove the prawn shells.
  
  Note: You can also use chicken stock or vegetable stock as an alternative.
• 11 Boil each ingredient individually and briefly. Then remove the ingredients and
  set aside.
  
  For broccoli and mushrooms, boil until softened.
  
  For cabbage, boil until slightly wilted.
• 12 For prawns, cook until they turn orange.
  
  For 6-8 fresh scallops, cook for about 3 minutes, take care not to overcook.
  
  For sea cucumbers, cook for about 30 minutes and quickly remove from the boiling
  broth. Otherwise it will 'dissolve' into the broth.
• 13 Turn off the heat. Sieve the broth to remove any residue.
• 14 Turn on medium-low heat. Then add all the seasoning ingredients – 1 tbsp Chinese
  wine, 1 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp dark soy sauce, 1/4 tsp white pepper powder,
  1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp oyster sauce and 4 tbsp canned abalone brine.
  
  Mix 1 tbsp corn starch with 1 tbsp of water to make slurry, then add to the
  broth and keep stirring until the broth thickens.
• 15 Using a nice looking claypot or serving bowl, place the cooked cabbage in.
• 16 Then layer with the cooked prawns, scallops, sea cucumber, roast pork, smoked
  duck, mushrooms, and broccoli.
  
  Place 6-8 canned mini abalones in the centre.
• 17 Pour the seasoning sauce generously over the dish.
• 18 Garnish with the carrot flowers.
• 19 Serve warm immediately.

Nutrition Info