Mon, 19th Feb 2007

Mum made a super assorted dried seafood claypot dish which consisted of scallops, (she tied string around each of these perfect whole dried scallops to prevent them from falling apart)

sea cucumber, oysters as well as mushrooms, black moss and fish maw. All the ingredients came from HK. This is the result.

The seacucumbers and fish maw were prepared a week earlier. You have to boil them lightly in several changes of water, Chinese wine and ginger slices, and keep them immaculately clean, until they are softer but still maintaining their bite.

It is a lot of work but so delicious, the flavours are rich, tasty and the sauce almost sticky without the need to add thickeners. I was also told that fish maw contains collagen which is good for the skin.

This is my personal takeaway portion which Mum put aside for me. It's in the fridge now... I might have it for dinner tonight...