Abalone pao fan. Poached rice in seafood broth.
Pao fan is such a comforting dish. The key to a pot of good pao fan is the broth. Many eateries boost the flavour of the broth by adding MSG and artificial flavouring. We don’t add MSG in our broth.
We flavour our seafood stock by using different types of fresh and dried seafood.
The dried seafood we used in this stock are dried fish maw (you can use fried fish maw but the soaking time and cooking will be different), dried octopus and dried scallops.
Soak 1 to 2 dried fish maw in water for 3 to 4 hours or until it’s soft. The soaking time will depend on the thickness of the fish maw. Fried fish maw needs only about 30 minutes. Once the fish maw is softened, cut into strips. Set aside.
Rinse one dried octopus and cut into strips. Set aside.
Cook 1/2 to 1 cup of rice in a rice cooker.
Heat up 700ml of chicken stock in a claypot. Add about 8 dried scallops, the dried octopus and dried fish maw. Add in 2 small rock cane sugar and 1 tsp of oyster sauce. Stir and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour until it’s soft. (Note: if fried fish maw is used, add it together with the fresh scallops).
30 minutes later, add 8 fresh scallops into the claypot. Bring it to a boil again and simmer for a couple of minutes. Add some white pepper and mix well.
When you’re ready to eat, add the cooked rice, some baby abalone and spring onion. Bring it to a boil and then off the heat. It’s ready to be served.
