Fried Oysters

By á-30

Jah Sang Ho

Editor's note: This recipe is reprinted from My Grandmother's Chinese Kitchen: 100 Family Recipes and Life Lessons, by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo.

Oysters are one of those three fruits of the sea permissible to Buddhists and were therefore insisted upon for New Year lunch by my grandmother. Cooking them with a batter is traditional. Their name, ho see, sounds like the Chinese words for good business.

Ingredients

• Batter
• 1 1/2 * 1 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose, high-gluten flour
• 10 * 10 ounces cold water
• 3/4 * 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 * 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 * 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 5 * 5 cups peanut oil
• 20 * 20 medium-size fresh oysters, opened, removed from shells, patted dry, dusted with flour

Preparation

Step 1

Combine all batter ingredients in a bowl and reserve.

Heat wok over high heat for 1 minute. Pour in peanut oil, heat to 375°F. Dip each oyster into the batter until well coated. When a wisp of white smoke appears, lower oysters into oil. Deep-fry 5 at a time until light brown, about 3 minutes. Remove oysters, place in strainer, drain over a bowl.

Deep-fry last batch to a golden brown, about 4 minutes. Place cooked oysters back in oil for 2 minutes more so they become golden brown. During frying, always control heat. You may need to lower if oysters brown too much, or raise if they cook too slowly.