With a bit of digging, I found out that the Malaysian proprietor got his inspiration from some restaurant in Hong Kong that served cheesy lobster yee mein (fried egg noodles). Further research told me that the HK version, at least, was basically a glorified ginger and shallot noodle recipe with sandwich cheese slices added to the sauce. (yes I do mean those individually-wrapped cheese slices; we Asians aren’t cheese snobs, alright?)

So with all that information on hand, I decided to split the difference and make my version using (spanner) crab instead of lobster (too expensive) or prawns (the cheapo banana prawns in my freezer weren’t going to cut it for this dish).

The result was fine, but I’m a bit conflicted about whether I’d make it again; it seems a bit redundant to throw some cheese slices into a dish (crab with ginger and shallots) that I think is already pretty perfect as it stands.

Cheesy Crab Noodles

INGREDIENTS:

• • 2 mud crabs, cut into pieces (approx 1 ½ kg)

• • 2 eggs

• • 2 Tbsp tapioca flour (or cornflour)

• • Oil for deep-frying

• • 2 pieces yee mein noodles, soaked in hot water until soft, then drained

• • 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

• • 3-4 slices of cheese

• 1L water or stock

METHOD:

1. 1. Heat oil to 180°C.

1. 1. Drench crab pieces with beaten eggs and tapioca flour.

1. 1. Deep-fry for about 3 minutes. Remove and drain.

1. 1. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in wok. Add ginger and garlic and fry for 2 minutes or until aromatic and slightly browned.

1. 1. Add crab pieces followed by Shaoxing wine.

1. 1. Add all other seasoning ingredients plus water or stock.

1. 1. Add cheese slices, bring to a simmer, then add noodles.

1. 1. Mix well, and once it comes to a simmer again, mix remaining tapioca flour with a Tbsp of cold water, then add to wok.

1. Adjust seasoning, remove and serve.

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