Steaming · FFET10208
Steamed scallops with garlic and vermicelli
Scallops on the shell set over soaked glass noodles, topped with garlic and steamed over high heat so the noodles take up the juices.
A small round white porcelain bowl holds translucent mung bean noodles in pale gold juices under half-shell scallops with white flesh, minced garlic and chopped scallion, with wooden chopsticks resting beside the bowl.
Cooking food with steam in a steamer.
Steamed scallops with garlic and vermicelli is scallops set on soaked mung bean glass noodles, topped with garlic and steamed over high heat, then finished with scallion and sometimes hot oil. The dish is prepared at home in Hong Kong and was a diner's favorite in Beijing restaurants. Steaming takes 2 to 4 minutes in one version and 6 minutes over high heat in another. Its date and place of origin remain unconfirmed.
What
Steamed scallops with garlic and vermicelli is scallops on the half shell set on soaked mung bean glass noodles, topped with garlic, steamed, and finished with scallion and, in some versions, hot oil.1,2,3
Where
The dish is prepared at home in Hong Kong and was a diner's favorite in Beijing restaurants. Its classification as Cantonese steamed seafood from Guangdong appears in only 1 recipe, leaving its place of origin unconfirmed.1,2,3
How
The vermicelli is soaked and placed under the scallop, with garlic on top, in some versions warmed in oil beforehand. The shells go into a steamer over high heat for a few minutes, the noodles take up the juices, and scallion or cilantro is added at the end.1,2,3
Why
Steaming times in 2 recipes are 2 to 4 minutes and 6 minutes over high heat, respectively. The noodles sit under the scallop and take up the juices released in steaming.1,2,3
No tale about this food has been found.
Grandma Li
This is a simplified home version, not the traditional restaurant method.
This is the simpler way I make it at home: the scallops are steamed in their shells over a bed of glass noodles. The garlic oil and the sauce follow one named recipe: the garlic is warmed in oil, part of it goes on the scallops, and the rest of the oil is mixed with soy sauce, sugar and water and spooned over after steaming. A second named recipe uses raw chopped garlic and optional hot oil, and I borrow its scallion. The two recipes steam for different times, so at home I go by how the scallops look.
Ingredients
- Scallops on the half shell 6, rinsed, the meat loosened from the shell with a small knife and left in it
- Dried mung bean vermicelli 30 g, soaked in warm water for about 10 minutes and drained
- Garlic 4 cloves, minced
- Cooking oil 30 ml (2 tablespoons)
- Light soy sauce 1 tablespoon (15 ml)
- Sugar a small pinch
- Water 3 tablespoons (45 ml)
- Scallions 2, chopped
Steps
- Soak the vermicelli in warm water for about 10 minutes, until it bends without snapping, and drain it.
- Rinse the scallops, loosen the meat from the shells with a small knife, leave it in the shells, and arrange them on a steaming plate.
- Put the 30 ml of oil in a small pan, add the garlic over low heat, and warm it for a minute or two until fragrant, without letting it brown.
- Twirl a small nest of vermicelli into each shell, set the scallop on top, and spoon the garlic and half of the garlic oil over them.
- Stir the rest of the oil together with the soy sauce, sugar and water, and keep it aside.
- When the water in the steamer is boiling, put in the plate, cover, and steam over high heat for about 5 minutes. The scallops are done when the meat is opaque and springy to the touch. If not, steam another minute or two, because seafood must be cooked through.
- Take the plate out, spoon the sauce over, and scatter on the scallion.
Tips
- I soak the vermicelli just until it bends, because it keeps softening in the steam. This is my own way.
- The plate and the shells are very hot, so I lift them out with tongs or a folded cloth. This is my own habit.
Allergens: shellfish, soy, wheat