“The rock lobster is a Cantonese banquet staple,” says Liong. “The ‘dragon prawn’ is said to bring strength, fortitude and good luck in the new year. It’s a great showpiece. The garlic butter is my version of my favourite sauce at Golden Century.”
Ingredients
Garlic butter sauce
Method
1.For lobster, three-quarter fill a large stock pot (to fit lobster) with water and bring to the boil. Add lobster, return to the boil and blanch (5 minutes). Remove from heat and refresh in iced water to cool (15 minutes); drain. Halve lengthways, remove tomalley; reserve. Remove tail meat, cut into 2cm pieces; set aside. Wash shells and drain; reserve.
2.For noodles, cook noodles in a large saucepan of boiling water until just soft (1-2 minutes); drain and rinse.
3.For garlic butter sauce, heat a large wok over high heat. Add 225 gm butter and cook until butter foams (1 minute). Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring continuously, until fragrant (30 seconds). Add stock, wine, sauces, and sugar; season and bring mixture to the boil. Stir in kuzu mixture and cook, stirring until thickened (1-2 minutes). Reduce heat to medium and whisk in remaining cold butter; season and keep warm.
4.Preheat oven to 220ËšC. Place empty lobster shells on a large oven tray and bake until warmed through (15 minutes).
5.Fill a wok one-third full of vegetable oil. Place over high heat and heat to 180ËšC. Dust lobster pieces in cornflour and shake off excess. Deep-fry lobster, in batches, if necessary, until just cooked and fine crust forms (2 minutes); drain on paper towel.
6.Place two-thirds garlic butter sauce in a saucepan over medium heat; add noodles and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally until warmed through (2 minutes).
7.Transfer noodles to a platter and top with lobster shells. Place lobster meat in remaining sauce; stir to coat then spoon into shells; drizzle with remaining sauce from pan; scatter with chives and serve with chilli.
Note RSPCA Australia’s advice for killing lobster humanely is to render it insensible by chilling it in freezer for half an hour. Kill it quickly by cutting through the centreline of the head, thorax and abdomen with a large sharp knife. E-fu noodles (or yi-fu noodles) are available from Asian grocers.
Notes
