Kitchen Recipe Collection
Braised Abalone with Mushrooms
A luxurious banquet dish often served at weddings and Chinese New Year. Tender, whole abalone braised slowly with thick shiitake mushrooms in a rich, dark oyster sauce glaze.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 120 min
- Total
- 150 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- hard
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 4 servings
- 8 small fresh or canned abalone (if dried, requires 3 days of prep)
- 8 large dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated
- 1 cup superior chicken broth
- 1/4 cup oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 piece rock sugar
- 3 slices ginger
- 2 scallions
- Blanched baby bok choy or broccoli (for presentation)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Equipment
- Claypot or saucepan
Instructions
- 1
Prepare Abalone
If using fresh abalone, clean them thoroughly, remove the viscera, and scrub the edges. If canned, simply drain them.
- 2
Prepare Mushrooms
Squeeze the excess water from the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms and trim the hard stems.
- 3
Sauté Aromatics
In a claypot or saucepan, heat oil and sauté the ginger and scallions until fragrant.
- 4
Add Mushrooms
Add the shiitake mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute.
- 5
Add Liquids
Pour in the chicken broth, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, wine, and rock sugar.
- 6
Braise Mushrooms
Cover and simmer the mushrooms in the sauce for 30 minutes until they are tender and saturated with flavor.
- 7
Add Abalone
Add the abalone to the pot.
- 8
Gentle Simmer
If using fresh abalone, simmer gently for 1-2 hours until tender (abalone is a muscle and requires slow, low heat to break down). If canned, they are already cooked; just simmer for 15 minutes to absorb flavor.
- 9
Remove Aromatics
Pick out and discard the ginger and scallions.
- 10
Plate the Dish
Arrange the blanched bok choy around the edge of a platter. Place the mushrooms in the center, topped with the abalone.
- 11
Thicken Glaze
Bring the remaining braising liquid in the pot to a boil. Stir in the cornstarch slurry until it forms a thick, glossy, syrupy glaze.
- 12
Serve
Pour the rich glaze generously over the abalone and mushrooms. Serve immediately.
Cooking Tips
- Abalone is highly prized for its unique, slightly chewy texture and ability to absorb the rich flavors of the braising liquid.
- High-quality oyster sauce (made with actual oyster extract) is absolutely critical for this dish.
Variations
- Add Sea Cucumber: Braised sea cucumber is often added to this exact dish to increase its luxury status at banquets.
Nutrition Estimate
210 calories · 24g protein · 12g carbs · 4g fat · 2g fiber per serving
