Our company must have gotten on the good side of some clients, somehow. During the days leading to Lunar New Year, we got a total of 3 different hampers. In the big one filled with goodies, there's a can of abalone. Another hamper came in the form of a box and inside it were THREE cans of abalones!
As everyone knows, this canned seafood is really not cheap. One can easily costs $30 at least, so it was a big deal to us. Not to my boss though. Her dad has a business dealing with grocery suppliers and these cans of abalones are just too common in her household. So she gave us a can each.
A can of abalone - New MoonAs everyone knows, this canned seafood is really not cheap. One can easily costs $30 at least, so it was a big deal to us. Not to my boss though. Her dad has a business dealing with grocery suppliers and these cans of abalones are just too common in her household. So she gave us a can each.
As we know, this abalone is SOOO not the norm in a Malay kitchen. The 1st time I ate abalone was because we accidentally bought it when we thought we've chosen a can of oyster mushrooms. My dad and bro refused to come near it so my mum and I wondered what to do with it (we paid $33 for that!).
We eventually sliced it thinly and put it in… instant noodles. -____-
I didn't even bring my can home. My in-law's household is very much the traditional Malay type and they're not so into Chinese foodstuff. So everyday, I'll stare at the can on my work desk and wonder what to do with it.
On one sleepy afternoon, I somehow had a 'lightbulb' moment.
Since my bosses will be away during the Lunar New Year week, we can cook-up a storm in the office or something! We can make something out of that abalone. And the best thing that came to mind was, SALAD. Easy, fuss-free and should be delicious!
I started googling for recipes for abalone salad and decide that we'll use some Asian-style dressing, which I believe, would complement the abalone meat nicely.
After our decadent cupcakes breakfast, we head down to Cold Storage at the nearby Parkway Parade to buy stuff for our 'grand plan'.
There one and only abalone in the can. Yes, for that price, this piece is truly expensive.
This abalone was swimming in some sort of seasoned 'water' which we stupidly poured down the sink because we thought that we won't have any use for it… BIG MISTAKE!
Our boss chided us and told us that the stock is actually VERY precious. They use it to cook various things because it is VERY delicious… Oops…!
We sliced the abalone meat thinly, cross-wise- just like how you slice meat. The trimmings felt a bit gelatinous (quite gross, actually) so we discard some parts of that, too. :P
One of my colleagues, Roza was the sort who got up early (unlike us 2, the tired mommies), so we asked her for the favour to stir-fry the fresh button mushrooms and yellow bell-pepper with garlic and butter; before heading to work.
This pack has just the right amount of dried fruits mix for the portion we're preparing.
And this small sachet of to-go dressing is just the right amount, too. So glad we found this Japanese-style vinaigrette that is just very apt for what I had in mind.
We chose the mesclun salad, which has a good mix of our favourite greens: Wild rocket, red oak lettuce, endive & chard. And these luscious and juicy baby Roma tomatoes which are just da bomb! Tomatoes are just never the same after you've had these sweet things, seriously!
After we've dumped everything in. Add a dash or two of black pepper and dried herbs mix and we're done!
Thinking that the salad on its own won't suffice for lunch, we sweep up this loaf of bread from Swissbake. We gotta' admit that those wholegrain bits studding the surface of the bread were out calling to us.
Dug out this cheese cocktail (mini sausages) from the freezer. Bought it months back yet can't find the right time to have it (supposed to fill us up when we do OT, but we're always too busy) so we might as well cook it then.
After everything is ready, we scooped a bit of everything into our plate. Yeah, I'm the sort who enjoy eating the top and bottom part of the bread (where the 'skin' is). More so with those wholegrain bits.
The abalone slices were just heavenly. Those who have yet to have abalone, its taste and texture is something like chicken-flavoured mushroom with a briny seafood after taste. I hope that makes sense. The nutty taste from the wild rocket complement that nicely.
Got some cheese slices from the office fridge and I stuffed a bit of everything into the toasted bread, fold it over and take a bite…
That. was. awesome (and wholesome too)!
A very satisfying lunch indeed. Glad to finally make good use of that precious abalone. My colleague eventually went on to prepare something similar for her family, at home.
No comments:
Post a Comment