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4. Drain the vermicelli well in a wire sieve. Place the noodles in a heatproof bowl with a cover that is large enough to hold the lobster pieces and will fit inside the steamer. Place the lobster on top of the vermicelli, and top with the garlic in olive oil. Sprinkle with the white pepper, and pour the soy sauce mixture over the top. Place the bowl in the steamer, cover, and steam over high heat until the lobster meat is white, 7 to 9 minutes. Serve immediately.

Note: Have the fishmonger cut up the lobster for you, and use it within a few hours of purchase.

THIS DISH OF HUGE CRISP SHRIMP with a dollop of sweetened mayonnaise and a toss of honeyed walnuts and emerald green broccoli arrived in North America in the early ‘80s. I wondered why the dish contained mayonnaise, which is not a Chinese ingredient. Apparently Chinese chefs in Hong Kong picked up mayonnaise from Western cooking and incorporated it into their cuisine.

Makes 4 servings

Grand Marnier Shrimp

12 colossal or jumbo shrimp (about 1 ¼ ounces each), peeled and deveined, with tail segment intact

¾ cup plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Pinch of salt

Sauce

½ cup mayonnaise

1 ½ tablespoons orange juice

1 tablespoon sugar

½ tablespoon sweetened condensed milk or heavy cream

1 teaspoon orange-flavored liqueur, preferably Grand Marnier

12 broccoli florets

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

12 to 16 Honey-Glazed Walnuts (page 34)

1. Combine the shrimp, the 1 teaspoon cornstarch, and the pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Mix well, then rinse the shrimp under cold running water. Drain, and pat them dry with paper towels. Cut deeper into the deveining incision of each shrimp, taking care not to cut all the way through. Flatten them slightly under the flat side of a cleaver. Place the remaining ¾ cup cornstarch on a plate, and press each shrimp into the cornstarch, coating it thoroughly on both sides. Cover the shrimp, and refrigerate for 30 minutes (this allows them to absorb the cornstarch and be very crisp when fried).

2. To make the sauce, combine the mayonnaise, orange juice, sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and liqueur in a small bowl. Mix well. Set it aside.

3. Bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the broccoli florets and cook until they turn bright green, about 1 minute. Drain and set aside.

4. Heat a large wok over high heat. Add enough oil to come about 1 inch up the sides of the wok, and heat it to 350°F. Add the shrimp to the oil, one at a time, taking care that they don’t stick together. Deep-fry the shrimp, turning them occasionally, until they are golden and crisp, about 1 ½ minutes. Using a wide wire-mesh strainer, transfer them to paper towels to drain.

5. Arrange the shrimp on a platter, and garnish with the broccoli and honeyed walnuts. Spoon a tablespoon of the mayonnaise sauce over the wide half of each shrimp. Serve immediately.

KUNG PAO CHICKEN, perhaps the most popular of all Sichuan dishes, is all about balance. The sauce blends sweet, sour, and spicy, and the roasted peanuts add a crunchy contrast to the tender chicken—or in this case, shrimp. Once we saw the popularity of Kung Pao Chicken at Shun Lee, Chef T. T. Wang and I created this seafood variation on the theme. Makes 4 servings

Kung Pao Shrimp

12 colossal or jumbo shrimp (about 1 14 ounces each), peeled and deveined

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Pinch of salt

½ large egg white (beat a whole white until foamy and measure out half)

Sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

2 tablespoons Chicken Stock (page 70) or canned chicken broth

2 teaspoons hot bean paste

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Vegetable oil, for passing through

6 asparagus stalks, tough ends discarded, spears peeled and sliced diagonally into ¼-inch-thick pieces

8 dried hot red peppers

4 scallions, white part only, trimmed and sliced diagonally