Braised Sea Cucumber with Mushrooms

5 from 11 votes

Ring in the Lunar New Year with Braised Sea Cucumber with Mushrooms! Cooked slowly, it's easy for a weeknight dinner yet impressive for a banquet!

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Total Time1 20

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian, Cantonese, Chinese

Servings:

Calories: 268kcal

1 kg / 2.2 lb sea cucumber (we get it pre-cleaned from Chinese specialty dried good stores)
80 g / 0.18 lb dehydrated shiitake mushrooms
750 mL / 3 US cup water (used to soak the mushrooms. Keep this water for braising)
350 g / 0.77 lb Chinese cabbage
30 g / 0.66 lb black moss (rehydrated; we get it from Asian supermarkets)
4 cloves garlic (lightly crushed)
4 tbsp cooking oil
6 tbsp oyster sauce (or to taste)
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
1 tbsp sugar (or to taste)
1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder

Soak then Chinese cabbage in cool salted water, then rinse and repeat 3 times until the impurities have been washed away. Let it dry while you use a small knife to gently scrape the sea cucumber under running cold tap water.
Cut the cabbage into 4cm (1.6") segments along its height.
Do the same with the sea cucumbers.
Lay the cabbage on the bottom of a large pot and add 2 US cup (470mL) mushroom water in. Let it simmer on a low-medium heat for 10 minutes.
Turn the heat up to high, then add the shiitake mushrooms, sea cucumbers and remaining mushroom water into the pot.
Season with the sugar, chicken bouillon powder and oyster sauce. Stir well and bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer.
Meanwhile, heat up the oil on high and cook the garlic cloves for 20 seconds or until lightly brown.
Pour the cooked garlic, oil and Shaoxing rice wine into the pot and stir to combine.
Lay the black moss on top and cook on a low-medium heat for another 30 minutes or until everything is soft.
Serve immediately as is with rice!

Braise it low and slow. Keep the simmering to just a bubble and let it cook for longer for a more tender and infused meal.
Don't cut the sea cucumber too small. When overcooked, they can become incredibly soft to the point where you'd be best off eating it with a spoon. Keep them larger so they can withstand the heat and hold their shape better.
Use abalone sauce. If you want to take the flavor up a notch, substitute the oyster sauce with abalone sauce.
We get all of the sauces and dehydrated ingredients from Asian supermarkets. The sea cucumbers can be found fresh in seafood markets or dried from Chinese specialty dried goods stores.
Sea cucumbers are sold dehydrated or pre-prepared in the frozen area and come in a variety of sizes and prices, so pick the ones that suit your preference.