Mud crab with ginger and shallots and yee meen noodles is a bit of a special occasion dish at Chinese restaurants here in Australia because of its price tag, but it’s actually quite easy to achieve at home, especially if you use cheaper varieties of crab like I did here. I usually go for spanner crabs, which usually go for about 1/3 the price tag of live mud crabs.
The yee meen noodles is Cantonese/Hong Kong-style and you should be able to find them easily at your local Asian grocery store – they’re dried and shaped in round cakes about 12 inches in diameter.
Crab with Yee Meen Noodles
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 crabs, cut into pieces (approx 1 ½ kg)
- 2 Tbsp tapioca flour (or cornflour)
- Oil for deep-frying
- 1 cake yee meen noodles, prepared per packet instructions
- 10 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3-4 inches ginger, cut into chunks and crushed
- 3-4 green shallots, cut into 2-inch lengths
- 1 ½ Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 ½ tsp chicken powder
- ½ tsp pepper
- 2 Tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine (optional)
- 1L water or stock
METHOD:
- Heat oil to 180°C.
- Drench crab pieces tapioca flour.
- Deep-fry for about 3 minutes. Remove and drain.
- Heat 2 Tbsp oil in frying pan. Add ginger and garlic and fry for 2 minutes or until aromatic and slightly browned.
- Add crab pieces followed by Shaoxing wine.
- Add all other seasoning ingredients plus water or stock.
- Bring to a simmer, then add noodles.
- Once noodles are soft, mix remaining tapioca flour with a Tbsp of cold water, then add to frying pan.
- Adjust seasoning, remove and serve.
Crab with Yee Meen pictured here with a bottle of Henschke Riesling from the Wine Selectors First Families of Wine Favourites Collection
