The Abalone with Lettuce My Dad's Made 100,000 Times

Step 1: Wash & rehydrate dried mushrooms

Since we’re using dried mushrooms, we’ll have to rehydrate them first so that they’ll be soft enough to cook.

First, give the dried shiitake mushrooms (1.5 oz) a quick rinse to wash off any dirt and debris. Then, soak them in a heat-safe bowl full of warm water for 30 minutes. The mushrooms will float on the surface of the water at first, so you can put a dish or other heavy object on top of them to help push the mushrooms down into the water.

Step 2: Prepare lettuce

Prepare the lettuce (1 lb) by cutting off and discarding the ends. Pull the leaves apart, then wash with clean water. If the lettuce seems particularly dirty, scrub those parts well with your fingers and rinse off the debris.

Set the lettuce aside to drain in a colander.

Step 3: Create sauce

In a separate bowl, create the sauce by combining oyster sauce (1 tbsp), light soy sauce (1 tbsp), dark soy sauce (2 tsp), sugar (2 tsp), salt (1 tsp), water (2 tbsp), white pepper (0.25 tsp), and cornstarch (2 tsp). Mix thoroughly.

Step 4: Cut ingredients

When the mushrooms are hydrated and soft, cut and discard the stems. You can use either kitchen shears or a knife to cut the stems.

Smash and peel the garlic (1 clove), leaving it whole. Then, cut a few thin slices of ginger (3 slice).

Step 5: Blanch lettuce

In a wok or pot, bring water (6 cup) to a boil. Add oil (2 tsp) and salt (1 tsp) to the water. The oil and salt slightly season the lettuce, help preserve its color and texture, and also give it a beautiful shiny gloss.

While waiting for the water to boil, prepare a separate large bowl of cold water.

Once the water is boiling, add the lettuce; you may need to do this blanching step in two batches. Blanch each batch for 40-50 seconds, until the green color of the leaves is as bright as it will go.

Then transfer the lettuce to the bowl of cold water to shock it and stop the cooking process. Let the lettuce cool down for about 30 seconds, then transfer to the colander to drain.

Time management tip: this may be a good time to open your can of abalone!

Step 6: Stir-fry mushrooms & plate lettuce

Pour the water out from your wok and dry it. Then, turn the heat to high and add oil (1 tbsp). Before the oil gets too hot (we don’t want to burn our aromatics), add the garlic and ginger. Cook until fragrant, or 30-40 seconds.

Lower the heat to medium, then add the mushrooms. Cook for 30 seconds.

Add the lettuce to your serving plate. (If you feel too rushed now, it's also fine to leave it for now and plate everything at the end.)

Step 7: Add abalone

When everything has come to a boil, uncover the wok to add the abalone (1 can). Once the abalone is in, cover the wok back up and cook for a minute. The canned abalone is cooked, so they just need to be heated through here.

Step 8: Add sauce

Then, turn the heat down to low and uncover the wok. Add the sauce while constantly stirring the ingredients in the wok. Increase the heat to medium and cook the sauce until it’s at your desired consistency. Keep in mind that as it cooks down and thickens, the flavor gets more concentrated.

Add a drizzle of sesame oil (1 tsp) to finish it off.

Step 9: Plate

Add the lettuce to your serving plate now if you didn't before. Then, layer the mushrooms over the lettuce, and arrange the abalone pieces on top. The sauce from the mushrooms and abalone will flow down to flavor the lettuce. Enjoy!

Presentation tip: Hide the smaller and uglier pieces at the bottom of the serving dish. Highlight the most beautiful and whole pieces of lettuce, mushrooms, and abalone by arranging them in the most visible places of the serving dish.