In preparation for the Sam Woo Turkey, we had to think up some side dishes. So after giving some thought as to what to serve with Chinese Roast Turkey, we decided on a few sides. And since some of those dishes could be prepared ahead of time, I thought I’d make a few of them this evening. After all, since we won’t be have to wait for "bird", we really don’t want to be waiting for our side dishes.
To start, the Missus thought Scallop and Corn Soup, would be a sweet, rich, and "oceany" beginning:
This soup is a mix between classic Chinese Dried Scallop Soup and Crab and Corn Soup. And pretty easy to make; though it does take up a bit of time.
4oz or 1 Cup Dried Scallops
6-8 Cups Water
4 Cups Chicken Stock
2 Cans Creamed Corn
6 Eggs Whites Lightly Beaten
1/4 Cup Corn Starch dissolved in 1/4 Cup water
White Pepper to Taste
Salt To Taste
1-2 oz Whiskey or XiaoTsing(optional)
Chopped Green Onion for Garnish
1 – Rinse the Dried Scallops rubbing gently with fingers to remove grit and any substances that sometime coat the scallops.
2 – Place scallops in a saucepan and add 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil and skim off surface foam. Reduce heat and simmer scallops for 1 1/2-2 hours until scallops are plump and tender. If 
water level is reduced too far; add more water.
3 – Once scallops are done transfer the scallops to a bowl. Shred scallops with a fork, or by hand. Discard any "hard" parts(like the muscle). I usually do it by hand.
4 – Add chicken stock to to saucepan and and bring to a boil. Add whiskey, if desired. Add shredded scallop back to pan. I usually do this by hand and make sure that the scallop is well shredded. Taste and add salt and pepper.
5 – While soup is boiling add dissolved Corn Starch to soup and mix. Lower heat and cook until 
soup thickens.
6 – Reduce heat to low and stir in one direction, Mix in egg pouring in the opposite direction.
Garnish Soup with Green Onion
I had thought that the "stuffing" would be somewhat problematic, until I saw a link on Reid’s site ‘Ono Kine Grindz to a recipe from the Honolulu Star Bulletin, for Mochi (Glutinous) Rice Stuffing.
You can follow this link for the recipe.
Once I found that it had bacon, mushroom, and Lup Cheong, I knew I had to make it. Just a few comments on the recipe. I doubled the soy sauce and the sugar; I added 1/3 cup of the "Mushroom Water" to help flavor the rice. Use a "rice paddle" to mix the sweet rice; it’s alot easier then a spoon.
Braised Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms:
I first had something similar in an ABCDE (American Born Chinese Dining Establishment) in of all places Atlanta. Can’t remember the restaurant, but I recall the taste. This is really not a braise in the classic sense; but more of a dry braise. I could tell that the version I ate, had been cooked in a ton of oil, but I’ve cut down the amount of oil. These mushrooms are a "snap" to make!
1 lb Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms
2 Tb Vegetable Oil
2 Tb XiaoTsing
2 Tb Soy Sauce
1 Tb Sugar
1-2 Tb Oyster Sauce
3 Tb Green Onions Sliced
1/2 Cup Water
1 – Rinse or wipe saw dust and other particles off mushrooms.
2 – Heat Wok over high heat, until hot. Add oil and stir fry mushrooms until fully coated with oil.
Lower heat to medium. When the pan is "dry" add XiaoTsing and keep stirring.
3 – When XiaoTsing evaporates add 1/4 Cup Water, stir, and cover. If water immediately evaporates add another 1/4 cup.
4 – When the mushroom are slightly tender add soy sauce and sugar. When mushroom look fully cooked, add Oyster Sauce and stir to fully coat. When mushrooms are fully coated(20-30 seconds), turn off heat, stir in Green Onions and serve.
By using the water and other fluids to "dry-braise" , less oil is necessary.
So looks like we’re almost ready for the Turkey. Hold on though, there are a few more dishes! But you’ll just have to wait for those. Stay tuned…….
