Arnold
Lara MSea cucumber
January 8th 2008 23:30
The sea cucumber is closely related to the sea urchin and starfish and hundreds of varieties can be found in the seabeds of oceans throughout the world where the low temperature is an ideal habitat for these creatures which feed on plankton.
Sea cucumbers have been a traditional Chinese delicacy for many centuries and is usually quite expensive because of its medicinal properties and its healthfulness.
Sea cucumbers cooked whole
Possessing a slippery texture with bumps along its surface (the more 'bumps' the better thus more expensive), sea cucumber is completely free from cholesterol and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat high blood pressure, helps people with urinating troubles and removes swollenness.
Sea cucumbers are available from many Asian stores either in dried form, which involves soaking for several hours before cooking, or in containers of water in the cold foods section. These sea cucumbers are usually already prepared for cooking thus bypassing the complicated procedure and lengthy period of time it takes to clean and dissect a fresh sea cucumber. This process involves slitting open the belly and removing the guts, plus washing and boiling the animal several times (this can take up to several days).
Braised sea cucumbers with Chinese mushrooms in Oyster sauce
The ability of sea cucumbers to soak up the flavours of foods and seasonings it is cooked with makes it very easy to cook and are most often used in chinese soups and braised dishes.
Here is a quick and simple recipe that you might like to try when attempting to cook sea cucumbers for the very first time.
Steamed Sea Cucumbers with Minced Garlic
Ingredients:
1 Sea cucumber
25g Rice Vermicelli
4-5 tbsp Garlic (minced)
2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Oil
Method:
1) Soak the rice vermicelli until soft; drain and set aside.
2) Wash and section sea cucumber.
3) Spread vermicelli on plate and place sectioned sea cucumbers on top.
4) Mix garlic and oil; pour over the sea cucumber.
5) Apply light soy sauce on sea cucumber and vermicelli. Bring water to the boil and steam the dish for 12 minutes.
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