Recipes, re-invented from cooking shows
Abalone Lugaw
Prep. Time:
Baking Time:
Total Time:
PT45M
PT3H15M
PT4H
Serves:
4-6 servings
Rhoda created this dish for Top Chef ™ Season 23. Her second-course toast to her mother reimagines lugaw, a Filipino rice porridge, around abalone shown three ways. The judges called the abalone beautifully braised and full of flavour, and praised a liver sauce that added a delicious funk without th...
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Ingredients
FOR THE BRAISED ABALONE:
6 small fresh abalone in shell (or ~1 lb / 500 g frozen and thawed, or premium canned; reserve the livers)
1 piece (10 g) kombu, wiped not rinsed
4 cups (1 L) dashi or chicken stock
3 tbsp (45 ml) soy sauce
3 tbsp (45 ml) mirin
1/4 cup (60 ml) sake (or Shaoxing wine)
6 coins (30 g) fresh ginger, sliced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
3 spring onion whites
1 tbsp (12 g) brown sugar, to balance the soy
FOR THE GINGER LUGAW (PORRIDGE):
2 tbsp (30 ml) neutral oil
2 tbsp (25 g) fresh ginger, julienned (generous)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot or small onion, minced
1 cup (200 g) jasmine rice, rinsed
2 tbsp (25 g) glutinous (sticky) rice, optional, for extra silkiness
5 cups (1.25 L) chicken stock, plus the reserved abalone braising liquor
1-2 tbsp (15-30 ml) fish sauce (patis), to taste
1/2 tsp white pepper
Salt, to taste
FOR THE ABALONE-LIVER MOUSSE:
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tbsp (45 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Livers from 6 abalone (the dark viscera; or 2 oz / 60 g monkfish liver)
2 tbsp (30 ml) sake or mirin
2-3 tbsp (30-45 ml) dashi or cream, to loosen
A few drops of lemon juice, to lift the funk
TO GARNISH & SERVE:
2 tbsp toasted garlic chips
3 spring onion greens, sliced
2 tbsp crispy fried shallots
Chilli oil or toasted sesame oil, to taste (optional)
Calamansi or lime, to serve (optional)
EQUIPMENT:
Heavy lidded pot or Dutch oven (or a pressure cooker, to shorten the braise)
Wide heavy saucepan or clay pot for the lugaw
Fine-mesh sieve
Small blender or immersion blender
Small stiff brush and paring knife
Ladle, fine grater or microplane, and warmed serving bowls
Method
STEP 1: CLEAN AND PREP THE ABALONE
If using live abalone, slide a thin spatula between the flesh and shell to release it. Separate the soft, dark liver (viscera) and refrigerate it for the mousse. Trim off the hard mouth and the frilly mantle skirt, then scrub the foot clean under cold water with a stiff brush. Score a shallow crosshatch into the base of the foot so the braise penetrates. (Frozen abalone: thaw and clean the same way. Canned abalone: skip to Step 3, using the can liquor as part of the braise.)
STEP 2: BRAISE LOW AND SLOW
Lay the kombu in a heavy pot and add the dashi or stock, soy sauce, mirin, sake, ginger, garlic, spring-onion whites and brown sugar. Add the abalone, bring barely to a simmer, then drop to the gentlest heat, cover and braise 2.5-3 hours until a skewer slides in with almost no resistance (or pressure-cook about 45 minutes and let the pressure fall naturally). Abalone is tough until it is truly tender, so give it the full time. Let it cool in the liquor, then lift out and slice thinly on the bias. Strain the braising liquor and keep it - this is the flavour bomb.
STEP 3: BUILD THE LUGAW
In a wide heavy pan, warm the oil and gently fry the ginger, garlic and shallot until soft and fragrant but not coloured. Add both rices and stir for a minute to coat. Pour in the chicken stock plus about 1-1.5 cups (250-375 ml) of the reserved abalone braising liquor. Simmer uncovered, stirring often and scraping the base, for 35-45 minutes until the grains break down into a loose, creamy porridge that falls slowly from the ladle. Loosen with more stock or braising liquor as needed. Season with fish sauce, white pepper and salt; it should taste unmistakably of the abalone braise.
STEP 4: MAKE THE ABALONE-LIVER MOUSSE
Sweat the shallot and garlic in a knob of the butter until soft. Add the abalone livers and cook gently just until set, then deglaze with the sake or mirin and let it bubble away. Tip into a small blender with the dashi or cream and blend smooth, dropping in the remaining cold butter a cube at a time so it emulsifies into a glossy, silky mousse. Pass through a fine sieve for elegance, brighten with a few drops of lemon, and season. Keep just warm; do not boil, or it will split and turn grainy.
STEP 5: PLATE TO SERVE
Ladle the hot lugaw into warmed shallow bowls. Fan the sliced braised abalone over the top, spoon or quenelle the liver mousse alongside, then finish with toasted garlic, spring-onion greens and crispy shallots. Add a thread of chilli or sesame oil and a squeeze of calamansi if you like. Serve at once.
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Instructions
FOR THE BRAISED ABALONE:
6 small fresh abalone in shell (or ~1 lb / 500 g frozen and thawed, or premium canned; reserve the livers)
1 piece (10 g) kombu, wiped not rinsed
4 cups (1 L) dashi or chicken stock
3 tbsp (45 ml) soy sauce
3 tbsp (45 ml) mirin
1/4 cup (60 ml) sake (or Shaoxing wine)
6 coins (30 g) fresh ginger, sliced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
3 spring onion whites
1 tbsp (12 g) brown sugar, to balance the soy
FOR THE GINGER LUGAW (PORRIDGE):
2 tbsp (30 ml) neutral oil
2 tbsp (25 g) fresh ginger, julienned (generous)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot or small onion, minced
1 cup (200 g) jasmine rice, rinsed
2 tbsp (25 g) glutinous (sticky) rice, optional, for extra silkiness
5 cups (1.25 L) chicken stock, plus the reserved abalone braising liquor
1-2 tbsp (15-30 ml) fish sauce (patis), to taste
1/2 tsp white pepper
Salt, to taste
FOR THE ABALONE-LIVER MOUSSE:
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tbsp (45 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Livers from 6 abalone (the dark viscera; or 2 oz / 60 g monkfish liver)
2 tbsp (30 ml) sake or mirin
2-3 tbsp (30-45 ml) dashi or cream, to loosen
A few drops of lemon juice, to lift the funk
TO GARNISH & SERVE:
2 tbsp toasted garlic chips
3 spring onion greens, sliced
2 tbsp crispy fried shallots
Chilli oil or toasted sesame oil, to taste (optional)
Calamansi or lime, to serve (optional)
EQUIPMENT:
Heavy lidded pot or Dutch oven (or a pressure cooker, to shorten the braise)
Wide heavy saucepan or clay pot for the lugaw
Fine-mesh sieve
Small blender or immersion blender
Small stiff brush and paring knife
Ladle, fine grater or microplane, and warmed serving bowls
Heading 5
Ingredients
STEP 1: CLEAN AND PREP THE ABALONE
If using live abalone, slide a thin spatula between the flesh and shell to release it. Separate the soft, dark liver (viscera) and refrigerate it for the mousse. Trim off the hard mouth and the frilly mantle skirt, then scrub the foot clean under cold water with a stiff brush. Score a shallow crosshatch into the base of the foot so the braise penetrates. (Frozen abalone: thaw and clean the same way. Canned abalone: skip to Step 3, using the can liquor as part of the braise.)
STEP 2: BRAISE LOW AND SLOW
Lay the kombu in a heavy pot and add the dashi or stock, soy sauce, mirin, sake, ginger, garlic, spring-onion whites and brown sugar. Add the abalone, bring barely to a simmer, then drop to the gentlest heat, cover and braise 2.5-3 hours until a skewer slides in with almost no resistance (or pressure-cook about 45 minutes and let the pressure fall naturally). Abalone is tough until it is truly tender, so give it the full time. Let it cool in the liquor, then lift out and slice thinly on the bias. Strain the braising liquor and keep it - this is the flavour bomb.
STEP 3: BUILD THE LUGAW
In a wide heavy pan, warm the oil and gently fry the ginger, garlic and shallot until soft and fragrant but not coloured. Add both rices and stir for a minute to coat. Pour in the chicken stock plus about 1-1.5 cups (250-375 ml) of the reserved abalone braising liquor. Simmer uncovered, stirring often and scraping the base, for 35-45 minutes until the grains break down into a loose, creamy porridge that falls slowly from the ladle. Loosen with more stock or braising liquor as needed. Season with fish sauce, white pepper and salt; it should taste unmistakably of the abalone braise.
STEP 4: MAKE THE ABALONE-LIVER MOUSSE
Sweat the shallot and garlic in a knob of the butter until soft. Add the abalone livers and cook gently just until set, then deglaze with the sake or mirin and let it bubble away. Tip into a small blender with the dashi or cream and blend smooth, dropping in the remaining cold butter a cube at a time so it emulsifies into a glossy, silky mousse. Pass through a fine sieve for elegance, brighten with a few drops of lemon, and season. Keep just warm; do not boil, or it will split and turn grainy.
STEP 5: PLATE TO SERVE
Ladle the hot lugaw into warmed shallow bowls. Fan the sliced braised abalone over the top, spoon or quenelle the liver mousse alongside, then finish with toasted garlic, spring-onion greens and crispy shallots. Add a thread of chilli or sesame oil and a squeeze of calamansi if you like. Serve at once.
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