Shun Lee's Lobster Cantonese
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Vegetable oil for deep-frying
- 11½ pound raw lobster, cut into pieces (see note) or three 3-ounce raw lobster tails in the shell, chopped into quarters
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- 2ounces (about ⅓ cup) ground pork
- ⅓cup dry sherry
- 1½cups chicken broth
- 4water chestnuts, preferably freshly peeled, cut into ⅛-inch slices
- ½cup sliced bamboo shoots
- 3white button mushrooms, blanched in boiling water for 1 minute, drained and cut into ⅛-inch slices
- ¼cup frozen green peas, defrosted
- ½teaspoon sugar
- Salt
- ground white pepper
- 2tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons cold water
- 1large egg, lightly beaten
- 2whole scallions, sliced into ¼-inch thick rounds
- ½teaspoon dark Asian sesame oil
- Hot cooked rice, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
773 calories; 56 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 38 grams monounsaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 37 grams protein; 1064 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Place a large wok over high heat. Add enough oil to come halfway up the side and heat until it shimmers. Working in batches, carefully add lobster pieces (oil will bubble up) and cook until shells are red and meat is opaque, about 1½ minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Reheat oil between batches.
- Step 2
Discard all but 1 tablespoon of oil from wok, and reduce heat to medium. Add garlic and stir-fry about 10 seconds. Increase heat to high, add pork, and stir-fry until no longer pink, about 1 minute. Add sherry and bring to a boil. Add broth, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, peas, sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon white pepper. Add lobster and bring to a boil.
- Step 3
Stir in cornstarch. Drizzle egg around edge of mixture, let set, and stir. Add scallion and sesame oil. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot, with rice.
- Ask your fishmonger to cut up lobster, dividing tail lengthwise, then crosswise into thirds. Chop off claws from knuckles, crack each knuckle and chop each claw in half lengthwise. Discard gills, viscera and shell from body, along with thin legs. Cover and refrigerate pieces up to 6 hours. Drain well before using.Variation: Begin with step 2 and make sauce. Before adding cornstarch, add uncooked lobster pieces with any liquid. Stir, then simmer for several minutes until cooked through. Resume with step 3.
Private Notes
Comments
I completely agree that this version sounds like the one I avoid at Cantonese restaurants. It's bland and boring. I also agree with your omissions. But the recipe I love for this sauce (with lobster or shrimp) includes fermented black beans and soy sauce. I also up the garlic. And there's no need to deep fry the lobster. Traditional stir frying will provide more flavor.
I agree with Ohiofem. The Lobster Cantonese of my youth was very bland and meant to appeal to more "suburban" tastes. The Lobster Cantonese I eat in Chinatown has more garlic, fermented black beans and chives. And Shao Shing wine, not sherry.
I showed this a couple of days ago to a Chinese friend of mine who has owned and been the chef of an upscale Chinese restaurant, telling her that I had made this recipe for my Thanksgiving dinner (a non-traditional one!) several years ago. She got very angry as she examined the recipe, saying emphatically that it was NOT Chinese cooking! I tried to explain that it was NEW YORK CITY Chinese cooking of the 1950s but that didn't mollify her, she is still smoldering about it....
I cook mostly Italian or steak and chops but I love Chinese food. I have not been able to find Lobster Cantonese in any of the restaurants I go to that used to have it, so I decided to make it. Wow. This recipe was great. The only thing I added was some fresh ginger root which I love. Lobster was really expensive , so I did use less and added some shrimp! What really impressed me is that I was able to make this so good without any Asian cooking experience. I did serve it over Arborio!HaHa!
I wish to honor Sou Chan of House of Chan (52nd st & 7th Ave). Did he create Lobster Cantonese? Walter Winchell's syndicated column on 2/27/1942, mentioned Chan and this dish. My father was Chan's friend, and I was fortunate to have eaten at the restaurant. His Lobster Cantonese featured black bean paste and was redolent with ginger, and it used tamale and roe. Chan was a happy immigrant and probably would be proud to have created a Chinese/American fusion dish. See his NYT obit.
It's bland and boring. I also agree with your omissions. But the recipe I love for this sauce (with lobster or shrimp) includes fermented black beans and soy sauce. I also up the garlic. And there's no need to deep fry the lobster. Traditional stir frying will provide more flavor.