Maine Cantonese Lobster

At Joss Cuisine/Traditional, Chinese cuisine is seen as an art form;

At Joss Cuisine/Traditional, Chinese cuisine is seen as an art form; ‘an applied art form, like couture, furniture design, wine making and architecture’. This sumptuous, yet simple to prepare, Maine Cantonese Lobster recipe, stolen with permission from Chef/owner Golo Kwokson Yu, is a perfect example. This stylish restaurant in luxurious Beverly Hills, California has a sophisticated ambiance and what they hope is “the best Chinese cooking offered anywhere”.

With dishes on the menu like Chicken and Fig Soup Elixir,(a broth with lycium berries, white figs, ginkgo nuts, and huai-shan), Chiu Chau Chicken with Glazed Pecans, (tender sliced chicken breast sautéed with fresh ginger, pepper leaves and honey glazed peanuts), and Tangerine Spiced Beef, (slices of beef marinated in Chen Pei Spices, tangerine liquor and sautéed with sun dried tangerine peel and red pepper), the food at Joss Cuisine/Traditional is far beyond your average Chinese fare. If you are in Beverly Hills and need a break from shopping on Rodeo Drive and star spotting, why not pop into Joss Cuisine/Traditional for lunch or dinner, or even some of the freshly made daily dim sum!

Although Joss Cuisine/Traditional serves beer and wine, they are also very excited to offer a variety of the finest teas from China and feel that tasting fine tea infusions can be equally as interesting as tasting fine wines, but with more health benefits! Some examples of the teas on offer at the restaurant are: Green Pearl of Jasmine from Fu Jian, Cloudy Peek White Peony from Yuen Fung, Superior Pu-Her, Black Tea, from Yuennan, White Chrysanthemum Herbal Tea, from Hang Chou.

About the chef: Chef Golo’s dishes reflect delicacy, variety and creativity and at Joss Cuisine/Traditional Golo and his crew function as a private chef for every customer. Each week they prepare two special menus depending on what is available in the market that inspires them. One menu offers familiar favorites from the restaurant’s repertoire, the other showcases classic regional Chinese dishes with a little element of surprise.

Golo’s cuisine draws influence from the rich heritage of traditional Chinese food, but incorporates today's health conscious ingredients. Where the authentic recipe calls for the use of lard, which they often do, he will substitute it with low fat vegetable oil, canola oil, corn oil, grapeseed oil or olive oil; depending on which one brings the best result.

He replaces the use of chemically processed granulated sodium with natural crystallized sea salt which enhances the essence of the fresh ingredients, and is a must for the complex finesse of Chinese cooking; the kitchen is sure never to use any form of MSG.

Please note: this recipe calls for Hsao Shing wine (or Shaoxing wine), a traditional Chinese fermented rice wine. This is available in Asian specialty stores or online, as are Chinese egg noodles.

Joss Cuisine/Traditional
9919 Santa Monica Blvd 
Beverly Hills, CA 90212 
310 277 3888

Maine Lobster Cantonese is served at Joss Cuisine/Traditional for market price, which is currently about $20 per pound.

This recipe makes 2 smaller servings or 1 large entrée serving.

Maine Lobster Cantonese Ingredients:
1 live Maine lobster (weighing about 2lb 8oz)
1 oz fresh ginger root, peeled and cut into thin slices
2 stalks green onion, cut into halves lengthwise; discard the top green parts and cut the bottom part into 1/4 inch pieces
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 oz Hsao Shing wine 
4 oz chicken broth
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 pinch salt
1 pinch black pepper
1 plate cooked soft Chinese egg noodles
1 large pot boiling water

Steal This Recipe® Step by Step Instructions for the Maine Lobster Cantonese:
Wash the lobster under a spraying faucet.
Blanch the whole lobster in the large pot of boiling water for about 2 minutes, or until the shell turns red.
Remove the shell over the lobster tail, saving for presentation use.
Split the de-shelled lobster tail in the middle and cut each side into about 8 1/2oz chunks, remove the meat form the claws, saving the empty claw shells and head for presentation.
Lightly dust the lobster pieces with the corn flour – discarding any remaining flour.
Heat the vegetable oil in a wok, tossing to open the fragrance of the oil.
Sprinkle some of the Hsao Shing wine in the wok and add the lobster pieces, tossing well over high heat.
Add the salt, pepper and sugar and toss.
Add the chicken broth to the wok and mix with the juice of the lobster.
Spray the rest of the Hsao Shing wine over the lobster for a finishing touch.
Remove the cooked lobster chunks to a bowl.
Put the cooked soft noodles into the wok with the lobster juice and broth, mix well and turn off the heat.
Place the noodles on a serving plate with the lobster head and claws arranged for decoration, pour the lobster chunks over the noodles and top it with the lobster tail shell.
Your Maine Cantonese Lobster is now ready for presentation and serving! Enjoy!