Chinese · Shandong · main

Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions (Cong Shao Hai Shen)

Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions (Cong Shao Hai Shen) reads umami 8.2, salinity 6.0 and sweetness 4.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Chinese · Shandong main, about 37 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 8.2 · Salinity 6.0 · Sweetness 4.9 · Richness 4.7 · Funk & Ferment 3.4 · Nutty 2.7 · Herbaceous 2.3 · Allium 2.1 · Warm Spice 2.1 · Sourness 1.0 · Bitterness 0.8 · Earthy 0.7 · Heat 0.6 · Marine & Briny 0.6

What's in it (15)

Time & effort: about 37 min · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 17.9 kcal, 0.9 g protein, 0.2 g fat, 3.4 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (5 steps)

  1. Simmer the sea cucumbers in the water with the ginger and 1 tbsp of the Shaoxing wine for 5 minutes, to drive off any residual iodine smell, then drain. They should be springy and slippery rather than slack.
  2. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat and fry the spring onion whites slowly, turning them, for 6 to 8 minutes, until deep golden brown and collapsed and the oil smells sweet and onion-scented. This scallion oil is the dish. Lift the onions out and reserve, keep 3 tbsp of the oil and save the rest for noodles.
  3. Return 3 tbsp of the scallion oil to the wok. Add the stock, both soy sauces, oyster sauce, rock sugar, white pepper, salt and the remaining Shaoxing wine and bring to a simmer.
  4. Add the sea cucumbers and braise gently, uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes, basting as you go, until they have swelled slightly, taken on a dark gloss and the liquid has reduced by half.
  5. Return the fried spring onions for the last 2 minutes, then stir in the slaked starch and cook 30 seconds until the sauce clings in a mirror-glossy coat. Serve at once with steamed bread or rice. Shandong is where northern China gets its stock-and-scallion grammar, and this is that grammar at its clearest.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.