Ingredients:
1 free-range chicken
8 abalone
400g whelks
2 green garlic stalks
30g shallots
Ginger and garlic (to taste)
10g red chili pepper
4g salt
3g sugar
30ml light soy sauce
15ml dark soy sauce
40ml oyster sauce
20g abalone sauce
3g white pepper powder
Shaoxing wine (to taste)
Cornstarch (to taste)
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add a pinch of salt, sugar, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, abalone sauce, white pepper powder, and cornstarch. Mix well until evenly coated, then let it marinate for 10 minutes.
Remove the abalone meat from the shells and discard the viscera (internal organs). Cut off the hard mouthpart (the “tooth”). Clean thoroughly, then add salt, cornstarch, and peanut oil. Rub vigorously to remove any slime or impurities, then rinse clean again.
Score the surface of the abalone in a cross-hatch pattern (flower cut). Marinate with shredded ginger, salt, and cooking wine (or Shaoxing wine) for 10 minutes.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add ginger slices and a pinch of salt. Briefly blanch the marinated abalone and flower whelks in the boiling water, then remove and set aside.
Heat oil in a wok or pot. Add red chili, ginger slices, garlic cloves, shallots, and the white parts of the green garlic; stir-fry until fragrant.
Add the chicken pieces and stir-fry until they are evenly coated and take on color. Splash some Huadiao wine around the edge of the pot to deglaze, then stir-fry a few more times.
Pour in enough water to cover the ingredients. Add salt, sugar, oyster sauce, abalone sauce, light soy sauce, and dark soy sauce. Stir well to combine.
Cover the pot and simmer for about 20 minutes. Then, add the blanched abalone and flower whelks. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer for a few more minutes until everything is cooked through and flavors are melded.
Cook until the sauce thickens. In a separate clay pot (or sand pot), heat a little oil, add the remaining aromatics, and stir-fry until fragrant.
Transfer the braised abalone, chicken, and flower whelks along with the thickened sauce into the hot clay pot. Add a few stalks of garlic shoots (or green garlic), cover, and simmer for a few more minutes before serving.
