Scallops with Broccoli & Chinese mushrooms (under 5 min!)

This is definitely another one of those impress-your-mother-in-law dishes. First of all, it's got all those round, juicy, white scallops that all old folks know just how much you've spent to buy them. That makes them feel worthy of your honouring them with such money, and hence, important. Secondly, it's simply a tradional Chinese delicacy. Afterall, it's eaten at Chinese wedding dinners, Chinese reunion dinners and so on, so you can't go wrong with preparing scallops for your in-laws. You can easily get them off NTUC or Cold Storage (might be fresher, bigger and juicier in Cold Storage). Have fun with this one and impress your mother-in-law!


Equipment:

1. Chopping board
2. Chopper or chef knife
3. Non-stick frying pan
4. Wooden spatula
   

Ingredients:

1. Juicy, white Scallops --- a pack
   
2. Brocolli --- 1 big floret
3. Carrot --- either half a big carrot or a half a pack of baby carrots (the type that's washed and ready to eat)
4. Chinese mushrooms --- about 8 big ones
5. Garlic --- 6 cloves
6. Oil --- a dash or 1 tablespoon
   
7. Oyster sauce --- 3 tablespoons
8. Cornflour --- 1 tablespoon
9. Water --- half a cup

Method:
First, since Chinese mushrooms take some time to soften, soak them first--- 20 minutes for hot water; one hour for cold water. Meanwhile, you can get to work dicing the garlic, washing and slicing the broccoli into pretty little florets and rinsing the scallops in cold running water to get rid of any loose stones. For the carrots, if you're using a big carrot, you can slice it into thin, round or oval slices. You can even make little stars out of the carrots if you wish. Some people say you need to peel them, but I'm not really bothered. I think as long as you wash it properly, giving it a good rub under running water, it'll be fine. And if you use the ready to eat baby carrots in a pack, you don't even have to do anything!

Once the Chinese mushrooms are softened, you're ready to stir-fry!

Throw in the garlic first with a dash of oil. Once fragrant, dump in the scallops, broccoli and Chinese mushrooms (whole). Pour in the water you used to soak the mushrooms and cover the pan with a lid. Let all the ingredients simmer for about 2 minutes, until all their individual juices have oozed out and fused together in the liquid. Their combined aroma will rise up when you open the lid...Mmmmm! I can almost smell it even as I write about it.

Finally, add your oyster sauce and do up the thickening.

Final result: Steaming scallops with fresh green broccoli, bright orange carrots and fragrant Chinese Mushrooms, all under 5 minutes of cooking time! (Can it get any easier than that!?!)