Sea Cucumber with Vegetables

Unusual Ingredients

Sea Cucumber with Vegetables
Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
20 wonton wrappers, sliced into thin strips
4 soaked soft sea cucumbers, innards removed and discarded. each cut into half-inch pieces
2 scallions, cut into one-inch pieces
5 slices fresh ginger, peeled
1/4 cup canned bamboo shoots, drained and sliced
1/4 cup canned straw mushrooms, each cut in half
1/4 cup sliced baby bok cai
3 Tablespoons thin soy sauce
1 Tablespoon rice wine
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup chicken stock
4 Tablespoons cornstarch mixed with four teaspoons cold water
Preparation:
1. Heat vegetable oil in a wok or fry pan and fry the wonton strips, continually stirring them until they are tan and crisp, then remove from the oil and drain them on paper towels before putting them all around the outside two or three inches of a large deep platter.
2. Add the sea cucumber pieces to the wok and fry for two minutes, then remove them to paper towels.
3. Add scallions and ginger to the remaining oil in the wok and stir-fry them for one minute, then remove them and add them to the sea cucumber pieces.
4. Add bamboo shoots, straw mushrooms, and the bak cai into the wok and stir-fry for two minutes before draining and putting these vegetables together with the sea cucumber pieces. Next discard all but one tablespoon of the oil.
5. Reheat the tablespoon of the oil, add the soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, sugar, and the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Return the scallions, ginger, all the vegetables, and the sea cucumber to the wok and stir, then allow to boil for one minute before adding the cornstarch mixture. Stir as it boils, and when thickened, pour this onto the platter leaving one inch of the fried wonton strips without any sauce mixture, then serve.

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