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This coming Sunday is the first day of Chinese New Year, here I have prepared the famous dish Black Moss Seaweed with Braised Dried Oyster (髮菜蠔豉). This Cantonese dish is famous to be served during the Chinese New Year because the combination of the ingredients of black moss (髮菜) and dried oysters (蠔豉) that has the similar pronunciation with fat choy hao shi (發財好市) in Chinese that signifies good wealth and a good market. Being in a low economy since last year, I sincerely wish everyone has a rich and prosperous Tiger Year.

Black moss seaweed or fat choy can be found in Asian or Chinese supermarkets in the dried food section. It doesn’t look delicious from the appearance as it is black in color and it looks like the human black hair. For that reason, it is named as “hair vegetable (髮菜)”.  But when it is cooked, it is actually tasted just like very fine vermicelli in texture except it is in black color. It is used widely in many Chinese New year dishes for good wealth and richness.

Dried oyster on the other hand, literally means good market(好市) in Cantonese. For those firm Chinese believers, this is a must-have-dish for business man in order to have great business and good opportunities in the market. Dried oysters are also used in many Cantonese dishes or soups, as the dried oysters are not as fishy as the fresh ones, but still preserve the slightly crunchiness in texture and its seafood taste.

Ingredients:
12 jumbo dried oysters (soaked in water)
18 black mushrooms (soaked in water)
1 pack of black moss seaweed or fat choy (soaked in water)
2 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp shao xing wine
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp water
Salt to taste

Serve size: 4-6 people

Cooking Methods:

1. Soak the dried oysters, black mushrooms in separate bowls overnight. Soak the black moss seaweed for 5-10 minutes till soft before cooking.
2. Add in chicken stock, black mushrooms, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, shao xing wine, and water. Bring to boil. Simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Add in dried oysters and simmer for additional 20 minutes.
4. Add in black moss seaweed and bring to boil.
5. Season the sauce with sesame oil, salt and sugar to taste.
6. Remove from stove. Place oysters, black mushrooms and fat choy in a nice platter. Serve hot.