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Savouring a rare dish
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Zhou Jianchuan
ABALONE is a kind of rare shellfish that mainly lives in deep waters off Japan, Australia and South Africa. If properly cooked, abalone tastes delicious, despite the fact that it stinks when it is raw.
As everything else that is rare, abalone is quite expensive. However, restaurant owner Liang Quan announced proudly, abalone dishes are not as costly as you might think at his Abalone King, a professional abalone restaurant where dishes are cooked in the most traditional, professional ways.
He said he runs an abalone wholesale business in addition to this restaurant, providing himself with high-quality yet cheap raw material.
Mr Hu, Abalone King's head chef, comes from Hong Kong, which of course is world-famous for its cuisine. Hu has been cooking abalone as a profession for more than 10 years. It takes at least five days to prepare and cook a dried abalone. According to Hu, the dried, raw abalone must be soaked for two days first, before being put into a big pot, together with ham, chicken, pork, traditional medicinal materials, and cooked over a slow fire for three or four days.
Medicinal materials are used to make the abalone more nutritious and tasty. When asked what medicinal materials are used, Hu and his boss answered with a smile, “This is a secret."
“Abalone is cooked only during the day. We lift it off the fire at night, and as the soup cools down, the abalone absorbs taste from the soup. When the whole process is completed, the soup becomes very thick."
“Abalone is not only delicious, but also good for the liver and eyes," Liang added.
Dishes at Abalone King are quite good for the price. One of the set meals includes abalone, shark's fin, edible bird's nest, fried rice and several other dishes, and only sells for 288 yuan (US$35).
“Some of our patrons would rather have their meals at home, so we offer order-by-phone services as well," the manager continued. “But unlike other restaurants, we don't use snack boxes; all the plates, bowls and special utensils we send out are just the same as the ones we use in the restaurant.
“Some of our patrons would rather have their meals at home, so we offer order-by-phone services as well," the manager continued. “But unlike other restaurants, we don't use snack boxes; all the plates, bowls and special utensils we send out are just the same as the ones we use in the restaurant.
“Some of our patrons would rather have their meals at home, so we offer order-by-phone services as well," the manager continued. “But unlike other restaurants, we don't use snack boxes; all the plates, bowls and special utensils we send out are just the same as the ones we use in the restaurant.
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