Ingredients: 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon minced garlic 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce 1 teaspoon minced ginger 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 tablespoon minced fermented black beans 1 1/2 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine 1 teaspoon salt 24 mussels, scrubbed, "beard" removed 1/4 cup sweet red pepper, finely diced 1 cup chicken stock 1 teaspoon sugar 2 scallions, finely chopped 3 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved with an equal amount of cold water
Directions:1. Heat wok over highest possible heat until smoking-hot. 2. Add oil along with black beans, garlic, ginger, and red pepper. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. 3. Add stock, shaoxing, soy sauces, oyster sauce, sugar, salt, and white pepper. 4. Bring to a boil and allow to reduce for about 1 minute. 5. Thicken sauce by adding 1 tablespoon dissolved cornstarch until sauce returns to a boil and thickens. Add more cornstarch a teaspoon at a time until it reaches the consistency of oyster sauce. 6. Stir in scallions and take off heat; pour out of wok into a separate bowl and cool. 7. Meanwhile, bring a quart of salted water to a boil. 8. Add 4 or 5 mussels to boiling water. Watch closely; after a few seconds, they will begin to open. Using a slotted spoon, remove mussels as they open into a colander suspended over a bowl. 9. The mussels should be set and just heated through, almost raw in the center. If you want them more well-done, cook for an additional 10-20 seconds once they open. 10. Continue cooking the rest of the mussels, 4 or 5 at a time, until they all open; cool briefly. 11. To serve, discard the upper half of each shell, taking care to drain any liquid that may have accumulated. 12. Decoratively arrange mussels on a serving platter. Top each with a tablespoon of reserved sauce. |