Fried Scallops with Young White Cabbage Recipe

Scallops are characterized by having two types of meat in one shell: the scallop which is white and meaty, and the coral, which is red or white and soft. Sometimes, markets sell scallops already prepared in the shell, with only the scallop muscle intact. Outside the U.S. the scallop is often sold whole. Scallops are a rich source of fish meat. When prepared the right way scallops are truly a nice meal.

Cabbage on the other side can provide you with some special cholesterol-lowering benefits if you will cook it by steaming. The fiber-related components in cabbage do a better job of binding together with bile acids in your digestive tract when they've been steamed. When this binding process takes place, it's easier for bile acids to be excreted, and the result is a lowering of your cholesterol levels. Raw cabbage still has cholesterol-lowering ability, just not as much as steamed cabbage. Try this sample recipe to see the delicacy yourself.

Cook time is 30 minutes and 1 hour for soaking (serves 4)

Ingredients for the recipe

20g dried black fungi

1 medium sized white cabbage

6 tablespoon sunflower oil

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

2 tablespoon fish sauce

8 scallops without roe

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

2 tablespoon hoisin sauce

Some caster sugar

Procedure for the recipe

• Soak the fungi in cold water for 1 hour. Halve the young white cabbage, remove the stalk and cut the leaves into fine slices.

• Heat 4 tablespoon oil and stir-fry one third of the cabbage, then season with some of the oyster, fish and light soy sauces. Repeat this process until all the cabbage has been fried. Remove and keep warm.

• Drain the fungi, trim and chop them. Halve the scallops. Coat each half in some flour and fry in the remaining sizzling oil on both sides until crispy golden.

• Briefly stir-fry the fungi, and then carefully fold in with the scallops and cabbage. Towards the end, Season to taste with soy sauce, hoisin sauce and sugar. Serve.