Honey Stuffed Crabs - Dec 2000 - Redaction by Master Drake Morgan and Mistress Kiriel du Papillion.
Taken from Ni Tsan and his ‘Cloud Forest Hall Collection of Rules for Eating and Drinking' (Yun Lintang Yinshi Zhidu Ji), translated by Teresa Wang and Eugene N. Anderson and published in Petit Propos Culinaire 60, with remarks by Francoise Sabban in PPC61. 14th Century Yuan Chinese.
Ingredients:
• 5 Kg Uncooked King Green Prawns (100g per person/300ml soup)
• 12 Green Shallots (saving 1/2 of the green for garnish)
• 2 tsp of freshly ground Szechwan Pepper (very finely ground). An option is to slightly roast the pepper, crush, and filter the
powder through muslin to remove the chaff.
• 6 tsp Salt
• 1 Cup of Rice Wine (The light sweet one, not the dark, salty one), Mirin works.
• 1/2 Cup Preserved Ginger Slice (or use the Preserved Ginger recipe also in this source)
• 1/2 Cup Commercial Preserved Bamboo Shoots
Method:
• Remove heads from Prawns. Add prawn shells also when you have them.
• Add heads to 10L of water with the salt, and boil gently for several hours in a stock pot to make stock. Strain out the prawn
heads. You can use standard clarifying techniques on the stock if you wish.
• Prepare prawns by de-veining them and scalloping. Cut the prawns into strips length ways to 2/3 the way down. This causes
them to curl up like a 'flower
OR
• Prepare prawns by de-veining them and slicing up top vein (backbone). This causes the prawn to curl up into a 'roll'.
• 10 minutes before serving bring the broth to the boil. Add pepper, wine, shallots. Allow to gently boil for 8 minutes
• Add Prawns, Ginger, & Bamboo Shoots. Bring back to boil for 2 minutes.
• Transfer to Tureen, garnish with spare shallots and serve quickly.
Assumptions:
• From my own understanding of this recipe and the notes of Francoise Sabban, live presented this recipe as Prawns cooked and served in a stock base. I'd also use a very light, sweet rice wine (such as a good quality Mirin) to keep this dish delicate.
• The part of the Original "From fresh green shrimp remove the head and shell. Leave the small tail. Use a small knife to cut them into thin pieces from the larger end to the tail. The tail should not be cut from the last piece of meat." is difficult to understand. The Chinese traditionally prepare prawns in rolls, or occasionally as 'flowers' and thus I have given the option here.
• Francoise Sabban: The end of the recipe has to be translated as: «Cook very quickly into this having filtered the stock, add sliced bamboo-shoot, slices of ginger and serve. Don't put spiced wine in the stock>>. There is another possibility depending on where you put the punctuation! It could also be interpreted as: «if you don't use the stock (to serve with the shrimps) use spiced wine, but not too much >>.
Original Recipe:
From fresh green shrimp remove the head and shell. Leave the small tail. Use a small knife to cut them into thin pieces from the larger end to the tail. The tail should not be cut from the last piece of meat. Use spring onions, Chinese pepper, salt, wine, and water to season. Grind up the head and shell, boil, and filter to make a stock. Quick-boil the shrimp meat in this stock, till clear. Then add bamboo shoot and preserved ginger slices to the stock. Do not use spiced wine. Do not cook too long.
NOTE. The term implies exceedingly quick cooking - little more than a quick dip in the boiling stock.
• 5 Kg Uncooked King Green Prawns (100g per person/300ml soup)
• 12 Green Shallots (saving 1/2 of the green for garnish)
• 2 tsp of freshly ground Szechwan Pepper (very finely ground). An option is to slightly roast the pepper, crush, and filter the
powder through muslin to remove the chaff.
• 6 tsp Salt
• 1 Cup of Rice Wine (The light sweet one, not the dark, salty one), Mirin works.
• 1/2 Cup Preserved Ginger Slice (or use the Preserved Ginger recipe also in this source)
• 1/2 Cup Commercial Preserved Bamboo Shoots
Method:
• Remove heads from Prawns. Add prawn shells also when you have them.
• Add heads to 10L of water with the salt, and boil gently for several hours in a stock pot to make stock. Strain out the prawn
heads. You can use standard clarifying techniques on the stock if you wish.
• Prepare prawns by de-veining them and scalloping. Cut the prawns into strips length ways to 2/3 the way down. This causes
them to curl up like a 'flower
OR
• Prepare prawns by de-veining them and slicing up top vein (backbone). This causes the prawn to curl up into a 'roll'.
• 10 minutes before serving bring the broth to the boil. Add pepper, wine, shallots. Allow to gently boil for 8 minutes
• Add Prawns, Ginger, & Bamboo Shoots. Bring back to boil for 2 minutes.
• Transfer to Tureen, garnish with spare shallots and serve quickly.
Assumptions:
• From my own understanding of this recipe and the notes of Francoise Sabban, live presented this recipe as Prawns cooked and served in a stock base. I'd also use a very light, sweet rice wine (such as a good quality Mirin) to keep this dish delicate.
• The part of the Original "From fresh green shrimp remove the head and shell. Leave the small tail. Use a small knife to cut them into thin pieces from the larger end to the tail. The tail should not be cut from the last piece of meat." is difficult to understand. The Chinese traditionally prepare prawns in rolls, or occasionally as 'flowers' and thus I have given the option here.
• Francoise Sabban: The end of the recipe has to be translated as: «Cook very quickly into this having filtered the stock, add sliced bamboo-shoot, slices of ginger and serve. Don't put spiced wine in the stock>>. There is another possibility depending on where you put the punctuation! It could also be interpreted as: «if you don't use the stock (to serve with the shrimps) use spiced wine, but not too much >>.
Original Recipe:
From fresh green shrimp remove the head and shell. Leave the small tail. Use a small knife to cut them into thin pieces from the larger end to the tail. The tail should not be cut from the last piece of meat. Use spring onions, Chinese pepper, salt, wine, and water to season. Grind up the head and shell, boil, and filter to make a stock. Quick-boil the shrimp meat in this stock, till clear. Then add bamboo shoot and preserved ginger slices to the stock. Do not use spiced wine. Do not cook too long.
NOTE. The term implies exceedingly quick cooking - little more than a quick dip in the boiling stock.
