Ken Hom's Stir-Fried Peppers with Scallops

The recipe calls for bean sauce which you can substitute with 1 1/2 teaspoons miso paste mixed with 1 teaspoon of water. The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon olive oil. Make sure this is not extra-virgin olive oil which is a low-smoking point oil that is not meant for stir-frying. You can also just use 2 tablespoons of peanut oil and skip the olive oil. If you want a little heat in this dish add a squirt of sriracha sauce with the rice wine but without the heat you can better appreciate the scallops.

• 1 pound Downeast Dayboat scallops
• 2 tablespoons Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons bean sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped scallions
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
• 1 small green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares

1. Halve any large scallops horizontally to match the size of the other scallops. In a small bowl combine the rice wine, soy sauce, bean sauce, sugar, and sesame oil.
2. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in the peanut oil, add the scallops, and pan-fry 1 minute on each side. Transfer to a plate. Swirl in the olive oil. Add the scallions, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry 30 seconds. Add the peppers and stir-fry 2 minutes. Return the scallops with any juices that have accumulated on the plate to the wok. Stir the rice wine mixture, swirl it into the wok, bring to a boil and stir-fry until the scallops are just cooked, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Serves 4 as part of a multi course meal.