Stronger than pride

Much as I love scallops, I am allergic to the lone local purveyor. She is pushy and forever scowling (and she cheats with the scale, according to an ex-help). So determined am I not to give her any business that I tell myself her scallops are too damn small. And they are, though if I have to be honest about it, the ones I get at restaurants are no bigger.

Which is not to say that I find the scallops featured on cooking shows any more appealing, with adductor muscle the girth of a marshmallow — often using only that (a very Western affectation, i.e., wasteful). I like mine with the creamy coral/roe. (Did you know some scallops are hermaphrodites, with male and female organs both? Male roe is white, female orange.)

By the way, when I say scallops, I specifically mean tipáy. When ordering outside, I always request to see the goods (or at least a shell) first, because sometimes restaurants serve another kind, the ones called kalyong, whose shell is way thicker, the meat tougher and less tasty. Thank you, but no.

That said, I dare add that the dish pictured here is of restaurant quality. It was inspired by a cockle clam stir-fry in the Taipei episode of Ainsley Eats the Streets (huge fan of Chef Harriott here). Simple, yet absolutely tasty. If I were to charge thrice the amount I paid for those bivalves, that’s because they’re a bitch to clean. I mean, one seems easy enough, but multiply that by 50 and I believe I have your sympathy. Did I mention they’re small? Or that I had to swallow my pride to deal with Mussolini the vendress? Damn this weather.

Stir-Fried Tipáy

To prepare scallop, see this video (do not sever the meat from the other half of the shell, though). To lessen the heat from finger chili, remove seeds and ribs within (optional).

• 1 kilo scallops, cleaned
• 1 big thumb of ginger, julienned
• 2 medium red onions, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 red finger chilies, sliced on the bias


• 2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine
• 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon kecap manis


• salt and pepper, to taste
• dash of seasame oil
• chopped spring onion greens, to garnish

1. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok/skillet. Throw in ginger and sauté for a minute. Add onion, sauté for another minute, then the garlic and chili. Stir.
2. Add scallops to pan. Stir around to coat everything with oil, but carefully so as not to dislodge the meat from their shells (some will, anyway). Pour in cooking wine and flambé, then add oyster sauce and kecap manis. Stir to mix (again, carefully), lower heat to medium-low, then cover pan. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes or until scallops are cooked.
3. Remove cover and season dish to taste. Drizzle with a bit of sesame oil, garnish with chopped spring onion greens, and serve hot.