China · Zhejiang
Crab Steamed with Savoury Bean Sauce
An autumn dish from the Pinghu region of Zhejiang, where crab halves sit cut-side down on a bed of spiced bean paste and steam in their own juices.
Crab is an autumn dish in the Yangtze delta, when the roe turns orange and firm, and this version comes from Pinghu, where crab is prepared over a thick layer of fried bean paste rather than steamed plainly. The paste is fried separately with rock sugar until it bubbles and is then spread in the dish, so it forms a bed that seasons the crab from below and catches the juices. Minced pork and a cracked egg in the base absorb what runs off the shells.
Ingredients
- crabs500 g
- broad-bean pasteExact
- rock sugar5 g
- dark soy sauce15 ml
- rapeseed oil20 ml
- tomato ketchup15 ml
- Shaoxing wine5 ml
- old ginger10 g
- scallion10 g
- egg50 g
- minced pork50 g
Directions
- 1
Scrub the crabs clean and chop them in half on the board.
- 2
Add the rapeseed oil to the wok, fry the minced ginger and the bean paste until fragrant, add the rock sugar and cook until the bubbles turn small, then take the mixture out.
- 3
Spread a layer of the sauce in a dish, then lay the crab pieces on it cut-side down in a neat row.
- 4
Add some scallion lengths and ginger slices; cracking an egg over the base or laying in minced pork is recommended.
- 5
Steam for ten to twelve minutes.
Source: HowToCook · WorldBite adaptation · Unlicense source text; bilingual recipe adapted by WorldBite.