Name: Hong Kong Lobster
Ingredients: Scallops, dried; Shrimp, dried; Chinese Cured Ham, ¼” dice; Japanese Dried Chiles; Chicken bouillon powder; Lemongrass, minced; Sesame Oil; Peanut Oil; Garlic, minced; Shallots, minced; White granulated sugar; Chinese sweet soy sauce; Ginger, minced; White Pepper; Chile Oil; Butter; Lobsters; X.O. Butter; Peanut Oil; Garlic; Ginger; Yu Choy ( Cut into 1/3rd); Pea Tendrils (Cut into 1/3rd); Shao Xing Wine; Salt + White Pepper; ½ Lobster; Lobster Shell Head; Lobster Tail ½; Lobster Sauce; Stir Fried Lobster Veg

XO Butter

Steam dried scallops and dried shrimp for 20 minutes until soft and scallops break apart easily.

Combine scallops, shrimp and cured ham in a robot coupe and blend until nicely shredded.

Add dried chiles, chicken bouillon powder, lemongrass, sesame oil and 200 grams of peanut oil to the robot coupe.

In a wok, add remaining peanut oil along with contents in robot coupe and heat on low.

Add in garlic, shallows, ginger, white sugar and sweet soy.

Chill over an ice bath or lay out on a sheet tray & let cool in the walk in.

Once the sauce is cooled, mix with butter to make the X.O. butter.

Lobster

Place lobsters in plastic lexan and “relax” them with liquid nitro.

Lay them flat on perforated pans and steam for five minutes.

While hot, fabricate the lobsters, removing knuckles, claws, tail, and head sections.

Split tails in half using a knife and remove the meat.

Reserve tail shells, and clean for presentation.

Remove the large head section from the small lobster legs, clean and reserve head for presentation, clean lobster legs, by cutting into 1/4ths and reserve for sauce.

Remove the meat from the claws and knuckles using a knife and shears respectively.

Scrape off albumen with a knife and reserve lobster.

Seal 1 knuckle and one claw in one bag at setting 2 with 10g of X.O. Butter

Seal ½ a tail in one bag at setting two with 10g of X.O. Butter.

Stir Fried Vegetables

Heat Peanut Oil in Wok on high until almost smoking.

Sauté garlic and ginger until aromatic and slightly cooked through.

Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

To Assemble

Drop Lobster(s) in water bath set at 56C for 10 minutes

Reduce sauce and mount with butter, season to taste with salt.

Remove lobster from bag and remove excess moisture with c-fold

Heat up 2oz of Lobster sauce in saute pan and slightly reduce.

Mount with butter, and season with chili oil, light soy, and black vinegar.

Place the stir fried veg in a small mound at the center of the hot plate, yet leaning more towards12 o'clock.

Arrange the fried lobster head on the mound of veg so it stands straight up.

Take the lobster tail meat and slice into 4 equal size pieces.

Place those pieces back into the tail shell.

Arrange the tail meat (which is inside the tail shell) in front of the fried shell head to keep it upright, place the lobster knuckle meat to the left of the pile of veg and claw to right.

Take remaining melted X.O. butter and cover all pieces of lobster meat.

Spoon heated and seasoned sauce on top of all the lobster meat.

Scatter pea tendrils, scallions, and cilantro around the plate.

We visit some of LA's legendary restaurants to get the stories behind four of the city's classic dishes.