Garlic Scallops
Serves 4.
Ingredients
375 g/12 oz scallop meat
half a small capsicum
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 teaspoon cornflour (cornstarch)
1 tablespoon cold water
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
shredded lettuce for garnish
Directions
Remove any dark streaks on the scallops. Dice the capsicum. Crush or finely chop the garlic. Mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce and sherry. Mix cornflour with cold water in a separate container and have all the ingredients assembled before starting to cook.
Heat wok, add peanut oil and heat again for 30 seconds, then swirl to spread oil. On low heat fry garlic for a few seconds, stirring. Do not let it brown or it will taste bitter. Increase heat, add capsicum and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add scallops and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Do not over-cook scallops or they will shrink and toughen. Pour in the mixed seasonings, stir in the cornflour mixture and continue stirring until the sauce boils and thickens slightly. Sprinkle sesame oil over, garnish and serve at once with rice.
Recipe excerpted from Encyclopedia of Asian Food by Charmaine Solomon (Periplus Editions, 1998)