“Broccoli floret so much resembling the blossom. So, it’s named 花开富贵, simply refers to blossom brings wealth.. This is my deluxe version of broccoli with mock abalone and stewed mushroom steak (素鲍片西兰花烩扒菇).”
I blogged on this similar recipe two years ago. And, because of the 1st day of Lunar month of January, which means it was a Chu Yi (初一), that was our vegetarian day, even if it’s Chinese New Year, I cooked this dish again, for dinner on the very 1st day of CNY. However, to celebrate festive day better, I made my dishes more presentable than usual, trying to make its appearance look like restaurant standard (laughing).. Well, at least I was certain that the taste of this dish was more or less comparable, with less money spent on its ingredients.
Ingredients:
1 mock abalone steak, thinly sliced
1 cup of broccoli florets (about 250g)
4 – 5 pieces of large dried Shitake mushrooms, soaked, trimmed and pat dry on clean towel
150ml of vegetable broth
2 tablespoons of vegetarian oyster sauce
Sprinkle of sesame oil
Pinch of ground white pepper
Touch of sugar
2 – 3 teaspoons of cornstarch, mixed with water to make into slurry
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 pot of water with 1 tablespoon of sugar (to blanch mock abalone slices and broccoli)
Optional (If you are not particular with religious belief): Minced garlic
Method:
1) Boil a pot of water over high heat, dissolve sugar in it. Reduce heat to medium fire, and blanch deli-thin sliced of mock abalone in simmering water for just 5 seconds. Remove and drain on wire strainer.
2) Then, with the same simmering pot, blanch broccoli florets for 2 – 3 minutes, or until softened and turned bright dark green. Remove from pot, plunge florets into iced water for few seconds, and then, return to hot water for few seconds. Remove and drain. Arrange florets nicely in full circle around the edges of a large serving dish. Then, place mock abalone slices nicely at the centre of the circle. Set aside.
2) Heat wok with oil over medium fire. If opted: Add garlic. Fry 15 seconds, till fragrant. Otherwise, simply add mushrooms into the wok, stir-fry for few seconds. Reduce heat to low fire. Add vegetable broth and cover wok with lid to simmer mushrooms for 15 – 20 minutes.
3) Mushrooms should be softened by now. Remove lid, add sesame oil, white pepper, sugar and vegetarian oyster sauce. Stir to mix well. Transfer mushrooms from wok to arrange on mock abalone slices placed on serving dish.
4) Now, to thicken the stock in wok, stir-in cornstarch slurry. Ladle stock gravy on the dish. Serve.
A portion of this broccoli dish counts about 100kcal.
Tips: To retain the fresh greenish color of the vegetables, add sugar into the boiled water to blanch vegetables. Please do not over-cook the vegetables, to keep its nutrients.
* If prefer stronger flavor of gravy, you may replace 50ml of vegetable broth with mock abalone brine from the same mock abalone packet.
* You may find this delicious mock abalone from selected NTUC Fairprice supermarkets or vegetarian stores, for about $6.80 per whole mock abalone (palm-size big).