Steam Scallops with Garlic & Glass Noodles

Glass noodles .. vermicelli noodles or green bean thread noodles is what I've heard these noodles been called before. They can be found in most Asian grocery stores and are really easy to prepare. All you have to do is to soak the dried noodles in some cold water until they soften and turn kinda limp when you try to pick them up with chopsticks. This should take about 8-10 mins.

In my last few posts, I did mention I was trying to get my hands on some fresh scallops still on the shell. Well, it took a trip to the Fish Market in Sydney to be able to source some. And at $1.50 each, they weren't exactly too expensive.

I also tried a different take on the fresh garlic this time. Instead of adding light soy sauce to the garlic in the beginning, I decided to just drizzle the light soy over the scallops after steaming but before the hot oil went on.

Steam Scallops with Garlic & Glass Noodles

• 1/2 dozen fresh scallops on shell (quickly rinse through water to ensure there's no sand)
• 1 packet Glass Noodles (soaked in cold water for about 8-10 mins)
• 6 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• freshly grounded salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

While the noodles are soaking, place the chopped up garlic into a china bowl (or something that is not reactive to hot oil). Add sugar and a couple of grinds of salt to the garlic, and mix it together with a spoon. Heat up the oil in a separate saucepan until its starts to steam. Pour the hot oil onto the garlic mixture. This should immediate cook the garlic. This part is really done to make sure the garlic is cooked, as the time required to be able to steam the scallops is not enough to make sure the garlic is cooked also. And I don't think anyone wants to have a mouthful of raw garlic...

Bring water in a wok to boil to be used as a steamer.

Arrange scallops on a plate to place into the steamer. Drain the glass noodles, then split them between the scallops. Arrange it so the glass noodle covers the raw scallops. Spoon a teaspoon of the garlic on top of the noodles. Once the water has boiled, place the plate of scallops into the wok to steam on medium heat. Turn the heat off after 3 mins, and leave the lid of the wok off. Sprinkle the following toppings onto the scallops (all except for the oil).

Toppings:

• 1 stalk chinese green onion (thinly sliced diagonally)
• 12 coriander leaves (handpicked)
• light soy sauce - enough for drizzling over the scallops
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Doing the same as before, heat the oil until you can see steam coming off the saucepan. Carefully drizzle the oil over the green onion slices and coriander leaves. The heat from the oil should immediately cook the greens and release the fragrance from these herbs.

Serve immediately.


Notes:

• I tried omitting the last drizzle of heated oil, but it just doesn't taste the same. After all, Chinese food is supposed to be rather oily.... :)