Conpoy

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Conpoy

Literal meaning:

river scallop

Transliterations
Mandarin
- Hanyu Pinyin:	jiāng yáo zhù
Yue (Cantonese)
- Jyutping:	gong¹ jiu⁴ cyu⁵

alternative Chinese name

Traditional Chinese:

乾瑤柱

Simplified Chinese:

干瑶柱

Literal meaning:

dried scallop

Transliterations
Mandarin
- Hanyu Pinyin:	gan1 qian2 zhu4
Yue (Cantonese)
- Jyutping:	gon1 jiu4 cyu5

Conpoy or dried scallop is type of dried seafood product made from the adductor muscle of scallops. The smell of conpoy is marine, pungent, and reminiscent of certain salt-cured meats. Its taste is rich and umami due to its high content of various free amino acids, such as glycine, alanine, and glutamic acid. It is also rich in nucleic acids such as inosinic acid, amino acid byproducts such as taurine, and minerals, such as calcium and zinc.

1 Terminology
2 Usage
3 See also
4 Gallery

[edit] Terminology

Conpoy is a loanword from the Cantonese pronunciation of konpui (乾貝, Cantonese: gon¹bui³; Mandarin: gān bèi), which literally means "dried shell(fish)".

When used for cuisines and sliced up for cooking, it is generally referred to as (江瑤柱)

[edit] Usage

In Hong Kong, conpoy from two types of scallops are common. Conpoy made from Atrina pectinata or kongyiu (江珧), a freshwater scallop from mainland China, is small and milder in taste. Pationopecten yessoensis or sinpui (扇貝), a sea scallop imported from Japan (hotategai, 帆立貝 in Japanese), produces a conpoy that is stronger and richer in taste.

Like many dried foods, conpoy was originally made as a way to preserve seafood in times of excess. In more recent times its use in cuisine has been elevated to gourmet status. Conpoy has a strong and distinctive flavor that can be easily identified when used in rice congee, stir fries, stews, and sauces.

XO sauce, considered by some as one of the finest seasonings for frying vegetables or seafoods in Cantonese cuisine contains significant quantities of conpoy.