Cosmos Stew (Pencai)
Lunar New Year is the biggest cultural festival of the year for ethnic Chinese in Singapore and in other parts of East and Southeast Asia. This cosmos stew is a family tradition from my mother-in-law and my grandmother-in-law. It combines some of the best and most exotic ingredients which are traditionally reserved for the family reunion dinner on the Eve of the Lunar New Year. The Chinese culinary tradition is often expressed through “feelings”. Family recipes are more of a general guide rather than rule books to be followed. As such, there are no strict requirements on either the weight of the ingredients or the duration of cook time (although generally the more the merrier).
8
servings1
hour71
hours72
hoursIngredients
Abalones
Dried oysters
Dried scallops
Fat Choy (nostoc flagelliforme)
Shiitake mushrooms
Sliced yam
China cabbage
Roast pork belly
Roast duck
Rice
Directions
- Cosmos pot is essentially a mixed stew using a Chinese clay casserole. After obtaining the individual ingredients to one’s own liking, it is recommended to place the different ingredients in sequence according to the minimum duration required for each item to be completely cooked.
- For example, the roast duck and pork belly are used to make the “foundation taste” of the stew. Therefore, they go into the bottom of the casserole first in the 3 days of slow cooking.
- In contrast, the abalones enter the casserole only 30 minutes before serving as they cannot be overcooked.
- The stew is enjoyed with rice or other staples.
Equipment
- Chinese clay casserole
Notes
- There are no strict requirements on either the weight of the ingredients or the duration of cook time – the family recipe is a general guide rather than a rule book.
- The book gives the time as “2 minutes to 3 days”; the times here reflect the full three-day slow-cooking version.