China · Sichuan
Spicy Crayfish
The famous numbing-and-hot crayfish of the Sichuan and Hunan tables, cooked in a heavy oil-and-beer sauce loaded with peppercorn and broad-bean paste.
Crayfish farming in the middle and lower Yangtze turned what was once river-side poverty food into a national summer ritual, eaten with gloves and loud conversation rather than table manners. Shops keep them alive in tanks and charge by weight, so freshness is easy to judge and the shells should be hard and springy. The traditional version floods the pan with oil and beer, which is why the finished dish is heavy and oily as well as spicy.
Ingredients
- oil70 ml
- cassia bark3 g
- green Sichuan peppercorn10 g
- Sichuan peppercorn10 g
- bullethead chillies5 g
- ginger30 g
- garlic7 pieces
- Pixian broad-bean paste30 g
- fermented yellow soybean paste30 g
- beer500 ml
- light soy sauce30 ml
- salt10 g
Directions
- 1
Scrub the crayfish clean, pull out the vein, and cut the scallion into two-centimetre lengths and mince the ginger and garlic.
- 2
Heat the oil over low heat and add the bay leaves, star anise, cassia bark, green peppercorn, Sichuan peppercorn and bullethead chillies.
- 3
Once the spices smell fragrant, add the scallion, ginger and garlic.
- 4
After the aromatics are fragrant, add the Pixian broad-bean paste and the fermented yellow soybean paste and fry until the oil turns red.
- 5
Add the crayfish and toss until the shells change colour.
- 6
Pour in the beer, and once it comes to a boil add the light soy sauce and the salt.
- 7
Cook until the crayfish are completely done, then turn out into a bowl.
Source: HowToCook · WorldBite adaptation · Unlicense source text; bilingual recipe adapted by WorldBite.