Lobster Cantonese
Lobster Cantonese is a dish of sweet, perfectly cooked lobster in a silky white sauce with ground pork, ginger, scallion, and egg.
Servings: 4
Calories: 229kcal
Ingredients
- 2 live lobsters (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds or 560-680g each)
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger (minced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 scallions (chopped)
- 2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch (divided)
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 tablespoons clear rice wine (can substitute Shaoxing wine, though we recommend clear rice wine, since it has a milder and smoother taste that’s more suitable for making Lobster Cantonese)
- 4 ounces ground pork
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
Instructions
- Prepare the live lobsters by cutting them into bite-sized pieces. Prepare the ginger, garlic, and scallions.
- Next, prepare the sauce. Add the 2 cups of the chicken stock, sesame oil, salt, sugar, and white pepper to a bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Separately, mix 3 tablespoons of the cornstarch with ¼ cup of chicken stock. In a different bowl, make a reserve slurry by mixing the remaining tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water for extra thickening if you need it. Woks and stoves vary, so it’s good to have this on hand.
- Lightly beat 2 eggs in a bowl. You want to break up the yolks but still see a separation between the yolk and white. This gives the dish a nice color contrast in the sauce.
- Measure clear rice wine into a small bowl so it is handy. This dish comes together fast, and you don’t want your lobster overcooking while you fumble with the rice wine bottle.
- Boil 2 cups of water in a large wok, and stir in the ground pork. Break up any clumps and cook for about 1 minute, until the pork is no longer pink. Drain the pork in a fine mesh strainer, give it a quick rinse, and set aside. This will give you a clear, clean sauce.
- Wash your wok and place over medium heat. Add the oil, and stir in the minced ginger. Once it starts to sizzle, add the minced garlic, cooked ground pork, and lobster pieces. Stir-fry for 10-20 seconds. Add the clear rice wine around the perimeter of the wok and stir-fry for another 10 seconds.
- Stir up your chicken stock mixture and pour it into the wok. Push all of the lobster pieces into the middle of the wok, cover and turn up the heat to high.
- Let the mixture cook for about 2 minutes, or until all of the lobster shells have turned red. If you see any dark pieces, turn them over so the dark shell pieces are submerged, and they will cook and turn red.
- Once the lobster has turned mostly red (a few dark spots are okay, since you don’t want to overcook the lobster), gradually stir in half of the cornstarch slurry while stirring with your wok spatula. Let the mixture bubble and thicken. It should be able to coat a spoon, but it shouldn’t have a gloopy consistency. If it gets too thick, add a little more chicken stock. If it’s too thin, add some of your reserved slurry.
- Lower the heat to a simmer. Spread the slightly beaten eggs across the mixture (don’t stir right away), toss in the chopped scallions, and simmer for a good 5 seconds. Use your spatula to fold the egg into the sauce with a few strokes until the eggs are just cooked. Transfer to a large serving plate or shallow bowl, and serve!
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 182mg | Sodium: 792mg | Potassium: 377mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 183IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 1mg