1/2 lb Dried, salted whole
-jellyfish
1 1-pound daikon radish
2 ts Salt
1/2 lg Chicken breast
1/2 Egg white
1 ts Cornstarch
1 ts Sesame oil
1/2 ts Salt
1 1/2 ts Sugar
2 ts Dry sherry
3 tb Peanut oil
2 tb Sesame oil
3 Scallions, chopped
Here's a classic Chinese "texture" dish, a cold salad made of with
dried jellyfish. I know jellyfish sounds bizarre, but, after
soaking, the jellyfish has a texture similar to woodears-crunchy and
crisp with little taste of its own. I consider the addition of the
chicken to be a sop to those who like to see recognizable things in
their food...
Actually, this would probably be quite good with just the chicken or
just the jellyfish. It has a light dressing made of mixed oils and
wine. Very nice on a hot summers day. More than likely, you'll have
to go to a Chinese market to get the jellyfish. This is another
recipe from my huge pile of clippings. It's from the SF Chronicle,
but I don't know the date.
Soak the jellyfish in a large bowl of cold water for 24 hours,
changing the water a couple of times. Peel the daikon with a
vegetable peeler; slice thinly; stack slices and cut into matchstick
shreds. Put into a mixing bowl, toss with the 2 teaspoons of salt
and let stand 1 hour.
Meanwhile, drain water from jellyfish. Pour boiling water over the
jellyfish and let stand for 15 seconds. Drain and run under cold
water. Set aside.
Bone the chicken breast and slice thinly; cut slices into shreds. Mix
chicken with the egg white, cornstarch and teaspoon of sesame oil;
refrigerate for 30 minutes.
While the chicken is marinating, cut jellyfish into the thinnest
possible shreds by rolling up each sheet and slicing it thinly.
Place in a large bowl. Wring most of the moisture from the daikon
shreds; add to the bowl with the jellyfish. Heat 3 cups water in a
saucepan. When boiling, turn off the heat and add the chicken
shreds, stirring to separate the pieces. Simmer for 1 minute. Drain
and rinse under cold water. Drain and add to the bowl with the
jellyfish.
Blend the salt and sugar with the wine until they dissolve. Heat the
oils in a saucepan and add the seasoned wine. It will sputter and
evaporate. When the oil is hot++don't let it smoke++turn off the heat
and add the scallions. Cool. Toss with the salad just before
serving.
