I still remember that time we ordered lobster yee mein (fresh lobster with fried wheat noodles and garlic, ginger and shallots) during lunch in Sydney’s Chinatown; it bumped our yum cha bill to just shy of $1000. We’re talking one lobster shared among the 4 of us, in case there’s any confusion. Thankfully, it was my younger sister, here on a flying visit from her overseas expat job, who paid for the meal.

For the rest of us non-Harvard-educated, non-expat-salaried types, however, here’s a way to indulge in this Cantonese classic without having to sell your kidney. My usual hack for this dish is to use a cheaper crustacean like blue swimmer or spanner crabs; right after Christmas however, I wandered into my local Woolies and saw a pile of cooked lobsters at half price – obviously leftovers from the Christmas trade. I picked up 2 of them (total $40), ate some as-is, and used the rest for lobster yee mein.

Couple of points to note –

• despite the lobsters being pre-cooked, the heads were full of “gao” – you know, that creamy orangey-yellow stuff – which infused the noodles with lots of flavour
• since they were already cooked, I didn’t need to drench the pieces with flour and flash fry” beforehand, but if your last name is Packer/Rhinehart/Lowy and you’re using live lobster, follow the first part of this recipe – https://jackiem.com.au/2018/08/14/how-to-cook-crab-with-yee-meen-noodles/

Lobster Yee Mein (Budget Version)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-2 medium-sized cooked lobsters, cut into pieces
• 2 cakes 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
• 2 TBSP oyster sauce
• 1 ½ TBSP chicken powder
• 1 tsp sugar (optional)
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 Tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine (optional)
• 2L water or stock
• 1 TBSP tapioca flour + 1 TBSP water (optional)
• 2-3 TBSP oil

METHOD:

1. Heat oil in frying pan. Add ginger and garlic and fry for 2 minutes or until aromatic and slightly browned.
2. Add lobster pieces followed by Shaoxing wine.
3. Add all other seasoning ingredients plus water or stock.
4. Bring to a simmer, then add noodles.
5. Once noodles are soft, mix tapioca flour with a Tbsp of cold water, then stir in to thicken.
6. Adjust seasoning, remove from heat and serve.

The post How to Cook Lobster Yee Mein first appeared on Jackie M..

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:

1. Heat oil to 180°C.
2. Drench crab pieces tapioca flour.
3. Deep-fry for about 3 minutes. Remove and drain.
4. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in frying pan. Add ginger and garlic and fry for 2 minutes or until aromatic and slightly browned.
5. Add crab pieces followed by Shaoxing wine.
6. Add all other seasoning ingredients plus water or stock.
7. Bring to a simmer, then add noodles.
8. Once noodles are soft, mix remaining tapioca flour with a Tbsp of cold water, then add to frying pan.
9. Adjust seasoning, remove and serve.

The post How to Cook Crab with Yee Meen Noodles first appeared on Jackie M..