VEGETABLES SEAFOOD IN BIRD NEST

A most attractive dish with beautiful color combinations is the seafood and vegetables. For this dish you will need to equip yourself with two wire strainers - one 7 inch diameter and the other 6 inch diameter, just the ordinary type available in any hardware shop.


Preparation time 40 minutes
Cooking time : 15 minutes


You will need the basket:
3 medium sized potatoes
2 tablespoon cornflour
vegetables oil for deep frying + 4 extra tablespoons oil
125 ml (1/2 cup) water


Seafood:                                                                          
250 g fish fillets, barramundi, snapper                           
250 g fresh prawn                                                               
250 g fresh scallops                                                            
2 teaspoons minced ginger                                                


Vegetables
125 g snow peas                                                         
1 medium white onion                                                
1/4 straw mushrooms                                                                                              
1/4 can baby corn
1 zucchini          
1 carrot
                                                                                   
Seasoning:                                           
1 clove garlic                                            
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoons salt
Thickening: 2 teaspoons cornflour dissolved in 1 tbsp water.

Seafood vegetables in bird nest

Preparation for basket
1. Peel and slice the potatoes thinly like potato cake, then shred into fine straws
2. Place in bowl of cold of water, drain and thoroughly squeeze out excess water, Mix in cornflour.
3. Well oil both sides of the two wire strainers (As you are going to deep-fry the basket, you could add your oil into the wok, and dip the basket into the oil.
4. Arrange potato straws evenly around the sides and the base of the larger strainer (not too thickly) and gentle press the smaller strainer on to the potato straws.
5. Heat the oil to moderate and carefully and gradually lower strainers into the oil, making sure that the oil does not rise too high and bubble over. Tilt the sides if the strainers are not completely immersed in the oil. Continue to deep fry until potatoes are crisp and golden and remove.  Lift out inner strainer. then carefully lift out potato basket on to absorbent paper.

Preparation seafood and vegetables
1. Cut fish into slices into small slices, devein, wash and dry prawn and cut each prawn into two. Wash and dry scalops.
2. Top and tail snow peas.  Drain straw mushrooms.
3. Plunge all seafood into boiling water for 30 seconds.  Strain immediately and place on a large plate vegetables.

Cooking
Heat the wok, add 4 tbsp oil, swirl around gently just smoking, add salt, garlic and stir fry vegetables until glazed with hot oil 1 minutes.  Add 125 ml (1/2 cup) water, cover with the lid and cook another minute.  Add all seafoods with minced ginger and marry over high heat quickly for 1 minute.  Add remaining seasoning to combine for 10 seconds, then make a well in the centre and stir in cornflour thickening until bubbling.  Combine them quickly and serve in the prepared potato basket.
Notes: Don't serve up to much liquid from work into the potato basket, the potato will fast becomes soggy.