Place a large wok over high heat. Add enough oil to come halfway up the side and heat until it shimmers. Working in batches, carefully add lobster pieces (oil will bubble up) and cook until shells are red and meat is opaque, about 1½ minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Reheat oil between batches.

Discard all but 1 tablespoon of oil from wok, and reduce heat to medium. Add garlic and stir-fry about 10 seconds. Increase heat to high, add pork, and stir-fry until no longer pink, about 1 minute. Add sherry and bring to a boil. Add broth, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, peas, sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon white pepper. Add lobster and bring to a boil.

Stir in cornstarch. Drizzle egg around edge of mixture, let set, and stir. Add scallion and sesame oil. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot, with rice.

Ask your fishmonger to cut up lobster, dividing tail lengthwise, then crosswise into thirds. Chop off claws from knuckles, crack each knuckle and chop each claw in half lengthwise. Discard gills, viscera and shell from body, along with thin legs. Cover and refrigerate pieces up to 6 hours. Drain well before using. Variation: Begin with step 2 and make sauce. Before adding cornstarch, add uncooked lobster pieces with any liquid. Stir, then simmer for several minutes until cooked through. Resume with step 3.