Lobster Cantonese

gailanng's Note:

From Madame Wong's Long-life Chinese Cookbook. Have all your ingredients ready to go. After the lobster is cooked, it goes quick. Also, the egg is part of the original recipe, but feel it can be left out.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 lobster tails (about 1 pound each)
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon preserved black bean (also called salted or fermented black beans but can sub black bean sauce)
• 1 tablespoon ginger, chopped fine
• 1 green onion, chopped fine
• 1/4 lb ground pork
• 2 tablespoons sherry wine, divided
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
• 2 -3 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces green part only
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 -4 cups oil, for deep-frying and stir-frying (divided)

Directions:

1. Cut each lobster tail in half. Wash thoroughly. Drain. Cut tails into pieces 1 1/2 inches in length, leaving shells on.
2. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the flour on lobster. Using a sieve to sift over makes this easier.
3. Pound salted black beans and mix with one (1) tablespoon water (or mix together the black bean sauce with the water). Mix together the minced garlic with black bean mixture in a bowl. Stir well; set aside.
4. Heat oil for deep-frying to smoking hot. Put in lobster pieces. Deep-fry until shells are red; drain, remove and set aside.
5. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in wok. Stir-fry black bean mixture 30 seconds. Remove and reserve.
6. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in wok. Stir-fry ginger and geen onions until it becomes aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add pork; stir-fry on high heat until color changes. Add 1 tablespoon of sherry, soy sauce, black bean mixture and stock. Bring to boil.
7. Add cooked lobster to meat mixture. Add 1 tablespoon sherry. Cover. Cook 3 minutes.
8. Remove lid and bring to a boil. Thicken gravy with dissolved cornstarch. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add green onion pieces. Slowly pour in beaten egg. Stir-fry about 10 seconds. Garnish with additional chopped green onions and serve over rice.