Ingredients
8 dried abalones, 12 pigeon eggs, white radish, cooked ham, sea cucumber, squid, dried shiitake mushrooms, bok choy hearts, cooked chicken, winter bamboo shoots, and chicken broth, all to taste.
Seasonings
Vegetable oil, sugar, scallions, ginger, fresh mushrooms, water chestnut starch, white pepper, Shaoxing wine, and borax, all to taste.
Instructions
1. Soak abalone in borax solution until tender, score a crisscross pattern on both sides, blanch in boiling water several times to remove the borax taste, then season with chicken broth, scallions, and ginger, and simmer over low heat until fully flavored.
2. Soak the sea cucumber until tender, then braise it over low heat with ginger, oil, wine, and chicken broth until fully flavored.
3. Soak the squid until softened, then score it crosswise with a knife, blanch in hot oil, and drain.
4. Cut the radish and winter bamboo shoots into decorative shapes, then briefly blanch them in warm oil along with the shiitake mushrooms and bok choy hearts.
5. Steam the pigeon eggs until cooked, then remove the shells. Dust them with some dried water chestnut flour and deep-fry briefly in hot oil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about ten minutes.
6. Place all the prepared ingredients along with cooked ham and chicken into chicken broth, add salt, MSG, sugar, Shaoxing wine, white pepper, and other seasonings, then briefly roast or simmer. Arrange the ingredients by color in a circular pattern, place the pigeon eggs in the center, then prepare some sauce thickened with water chestnut starch and pour over the top. This dish excels in color, aroma, and flavor, making it an ideal first course for a formal banquet.