Fujian silken seafood and egg white sauce

Fujian, or Hokkien fried rice is a popular dish found at Cantonese restaurants, despite the name, actually originated from Taiwan, where it was created by Hokkien chefs who emigrated from the Fujian province of China. Richly packed with scallops and crab, the seafood is cooked in a luscious umami-packed sauce that is served over egg fried rice – a meal fit for a king that Victor Liong still prepares at his restaurant, Lee Ho Fook in Melbourne to this day.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  2

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 300 ml chicken stock
• 20 ml kombu extract
• 6 g sugar
• 30 ml white soy sauce
• 100 g crab meat, picked
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 10-20 g kuzu starch
• 5 g sesame oil
• 60 g scallops, quartered
• Egg fried rice, to serve

Instructions

1. In a large wok or heavy-based saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a light simmer. Season with the konbu extract, sugar and white soy sauce. Add the crab meat and whilst stirring continuously, gently stream in the egg whites to form thin egg white ribbons in the stock mixture. Reduce the heat, then in a small bowl, combine the kuzu starch with a generous splash of water and while stirring, gradually add the slurry to the pan. Thicken to the consistency of a thick gravy.
   
2. Stir through the sesame oil and the scallops until the scallops are just cooked, then remove from the heat, taking care to avoid overcooking the scallops (as they turn rubbery!). Serve the Fujian silken seafood and egg white sauce immediately with egg fried rice.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.