serves
2-4
prep
10 minutes
cook
10 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
2-4
people
preparation
10
minutes
cooking
10
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 1 kg mussels
- large splash of vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp julienned ginger
- 5 garlic cloves, firmly bashed with the back of a knife
- ½ head medium iceberg lettuce, cut into large wedges
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- large splash Shaoxing rice wine
- 100 ml chicken or
- ½ cup chopped shallots (spring onions), cut into thin rounds
- splash of light soy sauce
- splash of black rice vinegar
- 1 cup coriander leaves
- river salt and white pepper
- splash of extra virgin olive oil, to serve
Instructions
Get your wok very hot and throw in the mussels with a good amount of water, cover with a lid. You want to give it enough time so the mussels start to open but don’t have time to overcook. The best way to do this is give them a moment in the pot before taking off the lid and using tongs to pull out the mussels one by one as they pop open. This is a fun game. Discard about a quarter of the shells.
Once all your mussels are opened and ready and waiting together in a bowl, get rid of the water in the wok, dry it and place it back on a high flame to get nice and hot.
Throw in a good splash of oil, let it heat, then add the ginger, the garlic and a pinch of salt, stirring around as you go. Give it a minute or so then add the iceberg and continue to stir-fry for another minute. Add in the sugar and the oyster sauce, give it a toss and then add in your open mussels.
Make sure you keep stirring as you add the Shaoxing rice wine, giving it a little moment to reduce before adding your stock. Use a wok spoon and some delicate wok tossing to make sure everything gets a good mix. Throw in the shallots, stir, then add the vinegar and some soy sauce to finish, give it another few moments on the heat, taste for seasoning and then remove.
Throw in the coriander as you serve , piling the mussels high on a platter and pouring over all the tasty saucy bits.
Cook’s tips
• It is just as acceptable to make this dish in a large pot, but if you want to use a wok and don’t have a gas stove, consider buying a portable gas burner. They are cheap and produce a fairly satisfying heat.
Photography by Benito Martin. Styling by Lynsey Fryers. Food preparation by Suresh Watson.
Medium oval platter from Papaya.
For a taste of O Tama Carey’s cooking, visit her at restaurant in Sydney. Like Berta on , and follow the restaurant on and .
Read our with Tama. This recipe is from our online column, . View previous .
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
