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Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions
Soft, glossy sea cucumber braised in a rich stock sauce with scallions fried low and slow until sweet and golden. Adapted for a home kitchen from the original ClouChef R&D report — 葱烧海参, report 123. A special-occasion dish: the sea cucumber is the cost and the work.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 葱烧海参_123.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 15 minutes (plus soaking if using dried)Cook: 30 minutesTotal: 45 minutes (plus soaking)Servings: 2 (adaptation: the source portion is 200 g sea cucumber)Difficulty: HardRegion: ShandongFlavour: Salty-savoury, scallion-sweet
Why this works
This is a two-flavour dish: the scallion oil and the braising stock. Frying scallion lengths at only 120 °C for about five minutes coaxes out their sweetness without bitterness, and that oil becomes the cooking fat for everything that follows. The sea cucumber itself has little flavour of its own; it borrows the stock, soy and scallion, and its pleasure is texture — soft, slippery and slightly springy. Braising for twenty minutes over medium-low heat, turning every five minutes, lets it absorb the sauce without falling apart, and the final fast reduction plus starch gives the gloss that makes the dish look banquet-worthy. The control that matters most is the scallion: scorched scallion turns the whole pot bitter, and no amount of good stock rescues it. Buy the best sea cucumber you can afford, because no sauce rescues a poor one, and treat the scallion oil as the dish's real seasoning, not a garnish.
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Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soaked sea cucumber, cleaned, cut into 1.5 cm strips | 7 oz | 200 g | HOME ADAPTATION: buy ready-soaked sea cucumber from a reputable fishmonger or Asian grocery. If you start from dried sea cucumber, follow the source: soak 48 hours in iced water, changing the water twice daily, until no hard core remains. |
| Scallion whites, cut into 5 cm lengths and halved lengthwise | 1.8 oz | 50 g | Shandong Zhangqiu scallions in the source; any thick, sweet scallion whites work. |
| Ginger, sliced | 0.35 oz | 10 g | — |
| Chicken or pork stock | 1¼ cups | 300 ml | Homemade stock in the source; good shop-bought stock works (adaptation). |
| Light soy sauce | 1 tbsp | 15 ml | — |
| Shaoxing wine | 2 tsp | 10 ml | — |
| Sugar | 1 tsp | 5 g | — |
| Neutral cooking oil, for the scallion oil | 2 tbsp | 30 ml | — |
| Corn starch mixed with a little water, for thickening | 2 tsp starch | 10 g | Mix just before use. |
Equipment
- Heavy skillet or wok — no wok required (adaptation)
- Thermometer, helpful for the 120 °C scallion oil (adaptation)
- Pot for stock
Steps
- Prep (if using dried). Soak dried sea cucumber 48 hours in iced water, changing the water twice daily, until soft with no hard core. Slit along the belly, remove the sand mouth, and cut into 1.5 cm strips. Cut the scallion whites into 5 cm lengths and halve each lengthwise. Ready-soaked sea cucumber needs only cleaning and cutting.
- Fry the scallion oil. Heat the oil to 120 °C, add the scallion lengths and fry over low heat until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Lift the scallions out and reserve; keep the oil in the pan.
- Braise. In the scallion oil, fry the ginger until fragrant. Add the stock, soy sauce, wine and sugar and bring to a boil. Add the sea cucumber strips, turn to medium-low heat, cover and braise for about 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes so nothing sticks.
- Reduce and thicken. Turn to high heat and reduce for 3–5 minutes until the sauce coats a spoon. Stir in the starch slurry and toss quickly until the glaze turns clear and glossy.
- Finish. Return the fried scallions, toss to combine and serve at once. Check the sea cucumber is heated to at least 75 °C in the centre and held there for 2 minutes, as the source's food-safety control requires.
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Technique: scallion oil at 120 °C
Scallion fried gently gives a sweet, almost caramel flavour; scallion fried hot goes bitter in seconds. Keep the heat low and watch the colour — golden is done, dark brown is too late. The reserved scallions go back in only at the end so they keep their shape and sweetness instead of dissolving into the sauce.
Variations
- Weeknight shortcut: use ready-soaked sea cucumber and shop-bought stock; the dish then takes under 45 minutes (adaptation).
- With mushrooms: add a few soaked shiitake during the braise. An addition, not in the source.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I buy sea cucumber?
Asian groceries and fishmongers sell it dried, frozen or ready-soaked. Ready-soaked is by far the easiest home option; dried is cheaper per portion but needs the 48-hour soak.
Why is my sea cucumber rubbery?
Usually it was under-soaked (dried) or braised too briefly. It should be fully soft before cooking and get the full 20-minute braise.
Can I skip the starch?
You can, but the sauce will stay thin and will not cling. The starch glaze is what gives the dish its banquet gloss.
Storage
Best eaten fresh. Leftovers keep 1 day refrigerated; reheat gently until steaming hot throughout (centre at least 75 °C) and do not reheat more than once.
Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions — Recipe Card
Soft sea cucumber braised in stock with sweet fried scallions and a glossy glaze.
Prep: 15 minutes (plus soaking if using dried)Cook: 30 minutesTotal: 45 minutes (plus soaking)Servings: 2 (adaptation: the source portion is 200 g sea cucumber)
Ingredients: 200 g soaked sea cucumber; 50 g scallion whites; 10 g ginger; 300 ml stock; 15 ml soy sauce; 10 ml wine; 5 g sugar; 30 ml oil; 10 g starch.
Steps: 1) Soak/clean sea cucumber, cut into strips. 2) Fry scallions at 120 °C ~5 minutes, reserve, keep oil. 3) Braise in stock, soy, wine, sugar ~20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. 4) Reduce, thicken with starch. 5) Return scallions, serve.
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Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 葱烧海参 (data/reports/123.md). The report's pricing, margin and marketing sections are deliberately omitted here, and no cost figures are given: the source's cost table contradicts its ingredient table, so cost figures are omitted rather than repeated. Original poster image: clouchef.com (葱烧海参_123.jpeg). The ready-soaked sea cucumber option and the 2-serving presentation are adaptations and are labelled as such.