Ming says: One of the great Cantonese dishes is Shrimp with Lobster Sauce. Despite its name, there is no lobster in it. It should really be called "shrimp cooked in the same sauce that's used to cook lobsters." Either way, the sauce itself, which is thickened with ground pork and deeply flavored with soy, ginger, garlic and oyster sauce, is the critical element because it's so hearty it can be a dish in itself. You can eat it by the spoonful or turn it into all kinds of other dishes.

Makes 8 cups

• 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon fermented black beans, rinsed and minced
• 2 yellow onions, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup Shaoxing wine
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 1/2 pounds small shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• 1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons water (slurry)
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 bunch scallions, sliced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Grapeseed or canola oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper

1. In a lightly oiled sauté pan over high heat, add pork, season with salt and pepper, and brown, breaking up any large chunks. When pork is fully cooked, let come to room temperature and finely grind in a food processor.
2. In a large stock pot coated lightly with oil on medium-high heat, sauté the ginger, garlic, beans and onions until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Deglaze with Shaoxing and reduce by 75%. Add chicken stock and reduce by 25%.
3. Place shrimp on a cutting board and, using 2 cleavers, finely chop shrimp.
4. Whisk cornstarch slurry into reduced mixture. Add shrimp, pork, oyster sauce, scallions and lemon juice. Stir constantly until shrimp are cooked through, about 4 minutes. Check for flavor and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
5. Keep Shrimp Sauce warm for immediate use in recipes or allow to cool to room temperature and store in an air-tight jar in the refrigerator.

>>Use this Master Recipe in Shrimp Sauce with Two-Sided Golden Noodles by guest Iris Tsai.

>>This recipe appears in Episode #415.

>> For additional recipes and more, visit www.ming.com