1 Braised King Prawns
[Ingredients]
King prawns……12
Salt……………7.5 grams
Sugar…………10 grams
Tomato sauce…50 grams
Cooking wine…25 grams
Green onions…5 grams (cut into sections)
Ginger………5 grams (minced)
Cornstarch…25 grams (mixed with water)
Broth………150 grams
Lard………100 grams
MSG…………5 grams
[Cooking Method]
- Pan-fry the king prawns after removing their whiskers and legs. Cut open the back shell, remove the sand sacs from the head, rinse thoroughly, and drain.
- Heat the wok, add lard, then pork, green onions, and minced ginger. Add the king prawns, cut a slit on both sides, pour in cooking wine, cover and simmer briefly. Uncover, add broth, salt, sugar, bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 2 minutes. Add tomato sauce, MSG, simmer until the sauce thickens. Thicken with cornstarch mixture, drizzle with lard, stir gently, and transfer to a serving plate. Arrange the king prawns with heads towards the center of the plate.
[Cooking Tips]
- When rinsing the king prawns, be careful not to rinse away the prawn brains.
- While braising the prawns, gently pat each prawn head with a spoon to dissolve the astaxanthin into the sauce for a more appealing presentation.
[Flavor Characteristics]
This dish has a deep red color, with a fresh and tender texture, and a rich, flavorful sauce.
2 Phoenix Tail King Prawns
[Ingredients]
King prawns………12
MSG……………2 grams
Potatoes………150 grams
Green onion and ginger juice…10 grams
Eggs……………2
Sesame oil………10 grams
Plain flour………100 grams
Peanut oil………1000 grams
Shaoxing wine…2.5 grams
(approximately 100 grams)
Salt……………3 grams
[Cooking Method]
- Peel and devein the king prawns, leaving the shell intact at the tail section. Cut along the back of the prawns, about 4/5 of the way through, so the prawn opens up into a large, butterfly-like shape. Rinse the prawns in salted water (1 gram), then rinse thoroughly with clean water and drain. Lightly pound the prawns with a knife to flatten them evenly. Marinate with green onion and ginger juice, salt (1 gram), Shaoxing wine, and MSG (1.5 grams).
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into fine 0.1 cm shreds. Rinse thoroughly to remove excess starch and drain.
- Heat peanut oil in a wok until hot. Fry the potato shreds until lightly golden, remove and drain. Season with salt (1 gram) and MSG (0.5 grams).
- Separate egg whites from yolks. Mix the egg whites with plain flour and water to make a thin batter. Coat each king prawn in the batter, ensuring the tail section with shell remains uncoated. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown, then drain.
- Heat sesame oil in the wok, return the king prawns to the wok, stir-fry briefly. Arrange the prawns with tails pointing towards the center of the serving plate, surrounding the potato shreds.
[Cooking Tips]
- The egg batter expands significantly during frying, so adjust the thickness of the batter accordingly to achieve a crisp texture without being too thick or thin.
- When frying the main ingredients coated in batter, ensure the batter sets before continuously stirring to avoid uneven frying.
[Flavor Characteristics]
Phoenix Tail King Prawns are prepared by splitting and flattening prawns with the tail intact, resembling a phoenix tail in shape. The prawn meat is tender with a fresh and fragrant flavor. The bed of crispy potato shreds enhances the dish, complementing the prawn’s natural sweetness and adding a unique texture. This dish is a specialty of Shanghai cuisine, known for its distinctive flavor profile and presentation.
3 Braised King Prawns
[Ingredients]
Fresh king prawns………300 grams
Rice vinegar…………1.5 grams
Chopped green onions………50 grams
MSG…………0.5 grams
Minced ginger………15 grams
Ground white pepper………0.5 grams
Shaoxing wine…………20 grams
Water starch…………25 grams
Sesame oil…………5 grams
Salt……………2 grams
Rendered lard………125 grams
White sugar………5 grams
[Cooking Method]
- Trim the whiskers from the king prawns, split open the head, and remove the sand sacs and black intestine. Wash thoroughly with clean water and cut into 3 sections.
- Heat rendered lard in a wok until moderately hot. Add the king prawns and fry until the shells turn red and release red oil. Remove the prawns from the wok.
- Leave a small amount of oil in the wok. Add chopped green onions, minced ginger, and Shaoxing wine. Stir-fry until fragrant, then add the king prawns back to the wok along with white sugar, salt, ground white pepper, and 200 grams of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer until the sauce thickens. Increase the heat again, add MSG, thicken with water starch, and stir-fry briefly. Drizzle with rice vinegar and sesame oil before serving.
[Cooking Tips]
Qing dynasty’s Yuan Mei wrote in the “Su Garden Food Menu” that, “Taoist believes that cinnabar transforms into the Nine Cycles, but the Confucian believes that something so primitive is unnecessary, only the stove in the kitchen is able to find the right temperature and just wait for it to rise at any moment. As for the cooks’ management of a dish, as the fish, it is done, a bit of fire, and then soft, not as an end, all in one bowl.
4 White Snow Yellow Croaker Fish Maw
[Ingredients]
Oil-soaked yellow croaker fish maw………50 grams
Diced cooked ham…………5 grams
Egg whites…………Three
Knotted green onion…………10 grams
Shaoxing wine…………15 grams
Salt…………5 grams
MSG…………1.5 grams
Clear pork broth………400 grams
Wet cornstarch………25 grams
Rendered lard………100 grams
[Cooking Method]
- Soak the fish maw in warm water until soft, wash off any oiliness, rinse thoroughly with clean water, squeeze out excess water, cut into strips, and then blanch in boiling water until fully soaked. Remove and drain using a slotted spoon. Beat the egg whites in a bowl with chopsticks until fluffy.
- Heat a wok over high heat, add 50 grams of rendered lard, sauté the knotted green onion until fragrant, add Shaoxing wine and pork broth. Remove the green onion knot, add the fish maw, season with salt, bring to a boil, cover, simmer until flavorful, then add MSG. Thicken with wet cornstarch, pour in the beaten egg whites, stir continuously with a spoon until evenly coated, drizzle with 50 grams of rendered lard, stir-fry briefly, transfer to a serving plate, and sprinkle with diced cooked ham.
[Cooking Tips]
- Oil-soaked yellow croaker fish maw: Rinse the dried fish maw with warm water, then place in a pot of warm oil. Maintain a low oil temperature to ensure quality, preventing it from turning yellow and becoming overly crispy on the outside while still uncooked inside. Use a slotted spoon to press the fish maw in the oil to prevent it from curling due to heat. When the fish maw starts to bubble, lift it out with the slotted spoon. During this process, flip and press the fish maw to ensure thorough cooking inside and out. When fried to the point where the fish maw breaks easily when squeezed, it should have a sponge-like texture.
- After adding the beaten egg whites to the wok, stir well to evenly coat the fish maw before drizzling with rendered lard.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- Fish maw is made from the swim bladders of fish after drying. Mainly produced in Guangdong, Zhejiang, Fujian, and the South China Sea, there are many varieties, with yellow croaker fish maw and broadfish being the best. Oil-soaked fish maw becomes soft and elastic with a spongy texture after thorough frying, making it a delicacy among seafood.
- This dish has a pure white color, silky smooth texture, delicious flavor, and is named “White Snow” due to its resemblance to a snowdrift.
5 Steamed Crab Claws with Crab Roe
[Ingredients]
Fresh river crab claws………2000 grams
Green onion and ginger…………2.5 grams
Cooked crab roe…………10 grams
Ginger slices…………2.5 grams
Clean winter bamboo shoots…………5 grams
White sugar…………0.5 grams
Soaked shiitake mushrooms………5 grams
Sesame oil…………5 grams
Salt…………1 gram
Chicken and duck broth………5 grams
Rice wine…………5 grams
Vinegar ginger sauce………100 grams
MSG…………2 grams
[Cooking Method]
- Rinse the crab claws with water, boil until cooked, gently crack the shells, peel off the hard shell, and remove the transparent membrane. Remove the outer black skin from the cooked crab roe, and flatten it into round cakes with a knife. Clean the shiitake mushrooms, remove the stems, slice thinly, and do the same with the winter bamboo shoots, cutting them into 1.3 cm square slices. Cut the green onion into sections.
- Place the bright side of the crab roe cake facing down at the bottom of a bowl, then arrange the crab claws with the smaller end towards the center of the bowl and the larger end towards the edge, layering them in the bowl. When halfway through, place a circle of shiitake mushroom slices against the edge of the bowl, and above the mushrooms, layer another circle of winter bamboo shoot slices against the edge. Continue layering the crab claws as before, and place the minced crab meat on top.
- Sprinkle with MSG, salt, white sugar, rice wine, chicken and duck broth, green onion, and ginger. Drizzle with sesame oil, cover, and steam over high heat for about 10 minutes. Remove the green onion and ginger before serving, and invert onto a serving dish.
[Cooking Tips]
When processing the crab claws, ensure the shape of the crab meat remains intact. From 2000 grams of crab claws, approximately 500 grams of meat can be extracted.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- “Crab claws” refer to the first walking legs of crabs, historically known as “pincers”. River crab claws are used in “Steamed Crab Claws”. In the northern regions, the best river crabs are produced in Xiongxian, Hebei Province, such as Zhao Beikou, Baxian, and Shengfang. In the southern regions, there are famous products like Yangcheng Lake large Chinese mitten crabs, Hanchuan Diao Han Lake crabs, Anhui Qing dazha crabs, Chongming crabs, and Shejiang River crabs. The best harvest period is around the Mid-Autumn Festival. Crab claws are thick and extraordinarily delicious, a favorite delicacy since ancient times. The “Book of Jin” records: “Zhuo once said to someone, ‘If I have wine-filled boats, laden with fresh crabs throughout the year, holding a wine cup in my right hand and a crab claw in my left, floating in the boat, then my life would be complete.'” This illustrates how irresistible crab claws are.
- With its pure white color and rich, savory crab meat, dipped in vinegar ginger sauce, the flavor is exceptionally delicious.
6 Stir-Fried Crab Roe with Crab Fat
[Ingredients]
Crab roe…………100 grams
Crab fat…………100 grams
Shaoxing wine…………15 grams
Soy sauce…………10 grams
White sugar…………5 grams
MSG…………0.5 grams
Rice vinegar…………2.5 grams
Cornstarch (mixed with water)………10 grams
Green onion (cut into sections)………1 gram
Green onion (chopped)………1 gram
Ginger (minced)…………1 gram
White pepper powder………0.5 grams
Clear broth (pork or chicken)…………75 grams
Rendered lard (or pork fat)…………60 grams
[Cooking Method]
- Heat the wok and add 25 grams of rendered lard. When the oil is hot (about 70% hot), add the green onion sections to sauté until fragrant. Next, add the crab roe and crab fat, gently spread evenly with a spatula, lightly fry, flip once, and fry the other side. Then pour in the Shaoxing wine, cover and simmer for a few seconds. Add minced ginger, soy sauce, white sugar, and clear broth. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 1 minute until the crab roe and fat are cooked and congealed.
- Increase the heat to high, add MSG, stir well, thicken with cornstarch slurry, and finally add rice vinegar, chopped green onion, and remaining rendered lard. Gently stir with a spatula, transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with white pepper powder, and serve.
[Cooking Tips]
To process the crab roe and fat, select large crabs harvested in the ninth or tenth lunar month. Wash them thoroughly and submerge in water in a pot with a lid, simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until the crab shells turn orange-red and crack. Cool them down, separate the crab legs and body, remove the cover from the body, and carefully extract the crab roe from female crabs and crab fat from male crabs.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- Stir-fried crab roe with crab fat features a golden color with soft, fragrant crab roe and rich but not greasy crab fat. The taste is exceptionally delicate and delicious, making it a famous dish in Shanghai during autumn and winter.
- After enjoying the crab roe, the leftover sauce can be used to make a delicious soup by adding tender tofu.
- In the 1930s, Shanghai was first enamored with “Steamed Shanghai Hairy Crabs”. Due to the city’s developed commerce and many affluent residents who enjoyed eating crabs but disliked the messiness of manual shell cracking, the operators and chefs of Lao Zhengxing Restaurant, renowned for its Tianxi cuisine, devised ways to use cooked crab meat, which became highly popular. By the late 1930s and early 1940s, in response to customer demands, they started using fat and well-nourished crabs harvested between September and October, cooking them in water, removing the meat, and preparing dishes like “Stir-Fried Crab Roe with Crab Fat” by stir-frying the crab roe and fat with seasonings. It quickly became one of the most famous dishes in Shanghai’s crab cuisine, renowned both domestically and internationally.
7 Red-Braised Crab
[Ingredients]
6 crabs……700 grams
1500 grams of lard (actual usage: 150 grams)
20 grams soy sauce
30 grams cornstarch
20 grams vinegar
10 grams water starch (cornstarch mixed with water)
1 gram salt
500 grams broth
15 grams cooking wine
40 grams ginger
[Cooking Method]
- Soak the crabs in water for a day to clean out impurities. Brush off any dirt from the shells, remove the apron, cut into four large pieces, remove the gills, and clean out the stomach. Slice the ginger and set aside.
- Heat a wok, add the rendered lard, and when the oil is hot, dust the crab pieces with cornstarch. Fry until the crabs are red and cooked through. Remove excess oil, add ginger slices, vinegar, soy sauce, salt, cooking wine, and broth. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes, stir occasionally, thicken with water starch, then transfer to a serving dish.
[Cooking Tips]
- Use fresh live river crabs; do not consume dead crabs as they can be toxic.
- Thicken the sauce with water starch to achieve a rich consistency. This dish is known for its thick, flavorful sauce that adheres to the crab pieces without flowing out when served.
[Flavor Characteristics]
Crabs, also known as “Master Yuan’s Intestines” or “Guo Suo,” are highly prized aquatic products in China, found in rivers, lakes, and seas with various species. They have been enjoyed since ancient times, with historical mentions of crab roe and crab paste in Northern China during the Western Zhou Dynasty.
The freshness and richness of crab meat have been praised by many literary figures throughout history. Li Huan once wrote, “Crab meat is fresh and fatty, sweet and rich, as white as jade and as yellow as gold. Its aroma and taste are unparalleled, making it a delicacy above all others, enhanced by other flavors like a blazing fire or refreshing water…”
The saying “Crab meat surpasses a hundred flavors on the banquet table” highlights the exceptional taste and status of crab in culinary traditions.
8 Furong Crab Roe
[Ingredients]
- Crab Roe ………… 400 grams
- Egg Whites ………… 8
- Crab Shells ………… 20
- Lard ………… 60 grams
- Cooking Wine ………… 25 grams
- Soy Sauce ………… 20 grams
- Rice Vinegar ………… 15 grams
- Sugar ………… 20 grams
- Salt ………… 7.5 grams
- Cornstarch ………… 25 grams
- Chopped Green Onion ………… 10 grams
- Minced Ginger ………… 10 grams
- Chicken Broth ………… 100 grams
[Instructions]
- Heat the wok, add lard, ginger, and green onion. Stir-fry the crab roe until aromatic, then add cooking wine, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar. Continue stir-frying until most of the liquid evaporates. Remove from heat and evenly distribute into 20 cleaned crab shells, flattening the mixture to be slightly lower than the shell rims. Arrange the filled shells in a deep soup plate.
- Beat egg whites with chopsticks, add salt and water, and stir until frothy. Skim off foam, then pour the egg whites into the deep soup plate until the crab shells are submerged. Steam over low heat for six minutes until the egg whites form a fluffy white texture. Remove and arrange each crab shell in a large serving dish.
- In a separate pan, heat chicken broth (100 grams) with salt and MSG. Once boiling, thicken with cornstarch slurry to a thin consistency. Add a small amount of lard and stir evenly. Pour the sauce over the Furong Crab Roe.
[Key Points]
- Ensure crab shells are thoroughly cleaned and dried before use.
- The final sauce should be thickened to a glossy consistency.
[Flavor Characteristics]
This dish features a fluffy white appearance, clear broth, and delicious crab flavor.
9 Chrysanthemum Crab
[Ingredients]
- Clean Crab Meat ………… 150 grams
- MSG ………… 2 grams
- Yangcheng Lake Crab Shells ………… 2
- Cornstarch ………… 50 grams
- Crab Claws ………… 4
- Peanut Oil ………… 35 grams
- Shaoxing Wine ………… 5 grams
- Dried Shiitake Mushrooms ………… 4
- Knotted Green Onion ………… 2 grams
- Chicken Broth ………… 75 grams
- Minced Ginger ………… 1 gram
- Chrysanthemum Flowers ………… 1-2
- Salt ………… 2 grams
- Vinegar ………… 25 grams
[Instructions]
- Wash the cleaned crab shells and claws with boiling water and set aside. Blanch the dried shiitake mushrooms in boiling water until cooked, then cut them into 16 pieces resembling crab legs. Optionally, carve chrysanthemum shapes from daikon or carrots and sterilize them in edible disinfectant.
- Heat the wok, add peanut oil and heat until 70% hot. Briefly stir-fry the knotted green onion, remove it, then add the crab meat and stir-fry briefly. Add Shaoxing wine, cover and simmer briefly to remove any fishy smell. Immediately add minced ginger, salt, MSG, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, simmer briefly, then thicken with cornstarch slurry. Drizzle a small amount of hot oil, remove from heat, and plate on both sides of a deep dish, topping with crab shells and arranged crab legs. Garnish with chrysanthemum flowers and serve with vinegar on the side for dipping.
[Key Points]
- Use Yangcheng Lake crabs weighing over 200-300 grams each for optimal results. Stir-fry the crab meat over high heat quickly to maintain its tender texture.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- Wang Baohe Restaurant was founded in the 9th year of the Qing Dynasty Qianlong era (1744 AD). Initially established in Shaoxing as Shangbaohe Winery by Wang Louchen, it later expanded to Shanghai’s Nanxi Salted Melon Street under his son Wang Renshan. In the second year of the Xianfeng era (1852 AD), it relocated to Fuzhou Road, where it is currently situated. It gained renown for brewing and serving aged Shaoxing yellow wine and crab banquets.
- “Chrysanthemum Crab” is a signature dish of Wang Baohe Restaurant, particularly featured during the chrysanthemum bloom and crab season. The restaurant displays a special crab model with light bulbs for eyes, signifying the availability of fresh Yangcheng Lake crabs. These crabs are selected, cooked, and served immediately, ensuring a delightful dining experience.
10 Steamed Yangcheng Lake Crab
[Ingredients]
- Live Yangcheng Lake Crabs ……… 2500 grams
- Soy Sauce ……… 250 grams
- Rock Sugar ……… 150 grams
- Chopped Scallions ……… 50 grams
- Rice Vinegar ……… 250 grams
- Minced Ginger ……… 50 grams
- Sesame Oil ……… 20 grams
[Instructions]
- Clean each crab thoroughly and soak them in water for half a day to remove impurities from their stomachs. Secure the crab claws and legs with fine ropes.
- Prepare a dipping sauce by mixing chopped scallions, minced ginger, vinegar, and rock sugar. Divide this sauce into 10 small dishes. Also, prepare individual dining utensils for each diner, including a small cutting board, a small wooden mallet, and other necessary tools.
- Steam the crabs until cooked through. Remove from the steamer, untie the ropes, arrange neatly on a serving platter, and serve with the dipping sauce and dining utensils for diners to enjoy.
[Key Points]
- China is rich in crab resources, with Yangcheng Lake, Taihu Lake, and Gaoyou Lake in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River being famous for their freshwater Yangcheng Lake crabs. Each crab should ideally weigh around 250 grams.
- Securing the crab claws and legs with fine ropes prevents them from struggling during cooking, which could otherwise cause the crab roe and oil to spill out or the legs to detach, affecting both the taste and appearance.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- The consumption of crabs varies with the seasons; females are preferred in September when their roe is full and meat is thick, while males are preferred in October when their fat is abundant and meat is firm. After the first light snow, crabs burrow into the mud for winter.
- China has a long history of crab consumption, dating back to the Northern and Southern Dynasties period. Many literati of the Tang Dynasty even wrote specialized works such as “Crab Chronicles” and “Crab Recipes”. The poet Li Bai mentioned crabs in his famous poem “Drinking Alone under the Moon,” stating, “Crabs with their pincers are liquid gold, the sauce with its dregs is Penglai. Best to drink good wine, and get drunk on the high terrace under the moon.”
- Steamed Yangcheng Lake crabs have an orange-yellow color, with delicious fresh crab meat. There’s a saying that “crab meat surpasses a hundred flavors on the banquet table”, and it is indeed a delicacy that allows one to appreciate its three unique flavors.