How to make Cantonese lobster with ginger and spring onions, ideal for a luxurious festive meal
- Spoil yourself with this luxurious lobster dish, and serve it with champagne for special occasion
- If you’re feeling particularly indulgent, begin with a tin of caviar to suit your budget
Not everyone celebrates the holidays with a big family feast; some people like to have a more intimate meal, or even spend the time alone. Served with steamed rice and champagne, this Cantonese dish of lobster with ginger and spring onion is the perfect celebratory meal for two (or one, if you’re a big eater; if not, halve the recipe). If you’re feeling indulgent, start the meal with a tin of sturgeon caviar, or salmon caviar for more modest budgets.
Lobster with ginger and spring onion
Killing lobsters is not pleasant but, as with all animals, it can be done humanely. Experts say the lobster should be partially frozen, which puts it in a state of hibernation and desensitises it. Clear space in your freezer, put the lobster – still in the bag it was sold in – on a tray, then freeze for 30 to 45 minutes. Unwrap the lobster, lay it on its back and use a sturdy chef’s knife to cut it through its head and brain in one firm, swift motion. The lobster is dead but will still move for at least 15 minutes. Cut the lobster lengthwise through the body, so it’s split in two. Cut the head from the body and pull off the claws. Cut each body half into three pieces.
Many recipes for lobster with ginger and spring onion use chicken stock as the liquid, but I use a dashi bag. You can buy dashi bags at shops specialising in Japanese ingredients, such as City’super, Apita and Fresh Mart, at Sogo.
2 lobsters, about 800 grams each
A 50-gram chunk of peeled ginger
50 grams spring onion
1 dashi bag
25ml light soy sauce
15ml sake or Chinese rice wine
½ tsp finely ground white pepper
Cornstarch
Cooking oil, as necessary
1 Freeze, kill and prepare the lobster as instructed above, then set it aside for a few minutes.
2 Thinly slice the ginger. Cut the spring onions into 2.5cm lengths. Put the dashi bag in a heatproof cup and add 200ml of boiling water. Leave to infuse for a couple of minutes, then remove the bag. Stir the soy sauce, rice wine and white pepper into the dashi liquid.
3 Pour oil to a depth of about 8cm into a wok placed over a medium-high flame and heat to 180 degrees Celsius. While the oil is heating, put some cornstarch into a shallow bowl.
4 When the oil is hot, dredge the cut sides of the lobster pieces in the cornstarch and shake off the excess. In batches, briefly fry the pieces in the oil, or until the shells turn bright red and the lobster is about three-quarters cooked.
The body parts need only two to three minutes, the claws four to five minutes. Before frying the heads, sprinkle the exposed parts with the cornstarch to cover them lightly but completely – don’t turn the pieces over to dredge in the cornstarch or the innards might fall out.
Place the heads exposed-side up in the wok and ladle hot oil over the pieces for about two minutes, to let the innards firm up. Carefully flip the pieces over and fry for another minute or two. Drain the lobster pieces on paper towels. Use a meat mallet to lightly crack the claws.
5 Pour off as much oil as possible from the wok – no need to wash it. Place the wok over a high flame. When the wok is hot, add the ginger and stir-fry for a minute. Add the spring onion and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add all of the lobster pieces.
Pour the dashi/soy sauce mixture into the wok and stir well, then turn the flame to low, cover the wok with the lid and simmer, stirring often, for three to five minutes, or until the lobster is cooked. The liquid should lightly coat the lobster pieces; if it doesn’t, stir over a high flame until the liquid forms a light sauce.
6 Transfer the ingredients to a serving dish and serve with steamed rice.
