Braised dried oysters with shiitake and bean curd sticks
Dried oysters, a Cantonese pun on 'good business', braised with shiitake and bean curd sticks in a glossy sauce — a lucky dish for the solstice table.
- 50 min
- Serves 3
- Braise
- Medium
Why it suits you: Dried oysters sound like 'good business' in Cantonese, making this a lucky solstice dish. Yin-deficient types get a dry mouth and skin in winter: dried oysters nourish yin and blood, bean curd sticks moisten and shiitake supports qi, all slowly braised into a rich but not heating dish.
Method
Prep 20 min · Cook 30 min- 1Soak the dried oysters and shiitake separately in warm water for about an hour. Rinse any grit from the oysters, stem the mushrooms and keep the mushroom water.
- 2Soak the bean curd sticks in warm water until soft and cut into lengths. Blanch the lettuce and arrange it on a plate.
- 3Fry the ginger and garlic in the oil until fragrant, add the oysters and mushrooms and stir-fry, then splash in the Shaoxing wine.
- 4Add the mushroom water, oyster sauce, soy sauce and rock sugar, cover and braise on low heat for 20 minutes. Add the bean curd sticks and braise for 5 more minutes.
- 5Thicken with the cornflour mixed with a little water and spoon everything over the lettuce.
Cautions
- Dried oysters are salty, so go easy on the sauces; limit them with gout or high uric acid.
Chef's tips
- Choose plump, golden dried oysters, and scrub them gently with a soft brush before soaking to remove grit.
The TCM view
Dried oysters are sweet, salty and neutral, nourishing yin and blood and calming the mind; shiitake is sweet and neutral, supporting qi and the spleen; bean curd sticks are sweet and neutral, clearing heat and moistening the lungs; lettuce is sweet and cool, clearing heat. Sweet, neutral and moistening, it suits yin-deficient types at the Winter Solstice.
