Kitchen Recipe Collection
Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions (Cong Shao Hai Shen)
A classic Shandong banquet dish. High-status sea cucumber, prized for its gelatinous, bouncy texture, braised slowly in an intensely fragrant scallion oil and soy broth.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- hard
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 4 servings
- 4 large rehydrated sea cucumbers (if starting from dried, takes 5-7 days of prep)
- 10 large scallions (white parts only), cut into 2-inch sections
- 3 slices ginger
- 1/2 cup premium chicken broth
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water
Equipment
- Wok
Instructions
- 1
Blanch Sea Cucumber
Cut the rehydrated sea cucumbers into large pieces. Blanch them in boiling water with a splash of wine and ginger for 5 minutes to remove any fishiness. Drain.
- 2
Make Scallion Oil
Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a wok over medium-low heat. Add the scallion sections and fry slowly.
- 3
Brown Scallions
Fry until the scallions are deeply browned, slightly blistered, and the oil is intensely fragrant. Remove the scallions and set aside, leaving the oil in the wok.
- 4
Make Sauce
In the scallion oil, add the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and wine. Stir to combine.
- 5
Add Broth
Pour in the premium chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
- 6
Braise Sea Cucumber
Add the blanched sea cucumber pieces to the simmering sauce.
- 7
Simmer
Cover and simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes. Sea cucumber itself has no flavor; it must absorb the flavor of the broth.
- 8
Return Scallions
Add the browned scallions back into the wok.
- 9
Reduce Sauce
Turn the heat to high to reduce the liquid slightly.
- 10
Thicken
Slowly stir in the cornstarch slurry until the sauce turns into a thick, glossy, clinging glaze.
- 11
Plate
Pour the sea cucumbers and the rich, dark scallion glaze onto a serving platter.
- 12
Serve
Serve hot. The texture should be bouncy, slippery, and slightly gelatinous.
Cooking Tips
- Rehydrating dried sea cucumber is a massive undertaking involving days of soaking, boiling, and cleaning. For home cooks, buying frozen, pre-rehydrated sea cucumber is highly recommended.
Variations
- Abalone and Sea Cucumber: Often braised together using this exact same scallion oil method.
Nutrition Estimate
150 calories · 18g protein · 5g carbs · 8g fat · 1g fiber per serving
