vegetarian Oysters

Name: vegetarian Oysters (Jai Ho See)
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons ginger pickle, shredded; 2 tablespoons peanut oil; 10 ounces cold water; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1½ cups high-gluten flour; 2 small Chinese eggplants: wash, dry, discard first slice; 4 cups peanut oil; 14 medium onion, sliced thinly

Jai Ho See

Preparation info

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Chinese Banquet Cookbook

By Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

Published 1985

About

This is a recipe I learned at the Taoist monastery, Ching Chung Koon, in Hong Kong. In vegetarian cookery, practiced best these days in Buddhist and Taoist temples, the idea is to deceive deliciously. In this case the “oyster” should look like an oyster but should surprise and delight the tongue with a wholly different taste.

Ingredients

2 small Chinese eggplants: wash, dry, discard first slice

Asia
China
Starter
Vegan
Hong Kong

Method

To prepare the eggplants: Slice diagonally at ⅛-inch intervals. Cut the first slice all the way through, then the next about three quarters of the way through, then cut all the way through, to create sandwich pockets. Continue to slice in this manner until all of the eggplant is used. There should be 20 pockets.
Make the batter: Place the flour in a bowl; add b