Single Meal - Dungeness Crab Shrimp Hong Kong Noodles (北美大肉蟹蝦仁雲吞麵, Bak1 Mei5 Daai6 Juk6 Haai5 Haa1 Jan4 Wan4 Tan1 Min6)

Dungeness crab is now in season, which is a treat in my part of the world. The crab was used in another dish and there was a small amount left over, so I decided to make a noodle dish. I originally posted this recipe: Dungeness Crab Hong Kong Noodles (北美大肉蟹雲吞麵, Bak¹ Mei⁵ Daai⁶ Juk⁶ Haai⁵ Wan⁴ Tan¹ Min⁶), which was adapted the recipe from the Dungeness Crab with Cellophane Noodles recipe at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch website, and this dish is based on that recipe. This is a quick cooking dish, and using Hong Kong noodles, in place of cellophane noodles, and shrimp which works well with the crab. The portion size is reduced, hence the “Single Meal” designation, and produces two servings.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

¼ lb.	125 g.	Cooked Dungeness crab meat (北美大肉蟹, bak1 mei5 daai6 juk6 haai5) or equivalent
½ lb.	250 g.	Prawn or shrimp meat (蝦仁, haa1 jan4)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Baking soda (蘇打粉, sou1 daa2 fan2)
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
3	3	Dried Shiitake mushrooms (冬菇, dung1 gu1), rehydrated and cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
1 stalk	1 stalk	Baby bok choy (小白菜, siu2 baak6 coi3)
½	½	Red bell pepper (紅椒, hung4 ziu1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
4 oz.	114 g.	One-half package marinated (five spice) bean curd (五香豆腐, ng5 hoeng1 dau6 fu6)
1 stalk	1 stalk	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces on the diagonal
1 clove	1 clove	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
½ lb.	227 g.	One-half package Hong Kong noodles (雲吞麵, wan4 tan1 min6)
		Oil for cooking
Sauce Ingredients
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Lee Kum Kee Brand Premium Oyster Flavored Sauce (蠔油, hou4 jau4) or equivalent
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Kim Ve Wong Brand Thick Soy Sauce (膏油醬, gou1 jau4 zeong3) or equivalent
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Three Crabs Brand Fish Sauce (魚露, jyu4 lou6) or equivalent
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)

Equipment

		Garlic press
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

Preparation Instructions (One Day Before Cooking)

Lee Kum Kee Brand
Premium Oyster Flavored Sauce
(蠔油, hou⁴ jau⁴) 

1. If using frozen cooked crab meat, thaw the crab in the refrigerator in a covered container overnight. Remove the crab meat from the shell, keeping the crab meat as intact as possible.
2. To give shrimp a “crunchy” texture, like that found in restaurant dishes, use the technique described here: Technique: How To Make Shrimp Crunchy.

Preparation Instructions (Cooking Day)

1. Take the crab and shrimp out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
2. Pour boiling water over the small dried whole Shiitake mushrooms in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate the mushrooms for at least one hour. Remove the Shiitake mushrooms from the rehydration liquid and remove the stems. Cut the Shiitake mushrooms into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces. Reserve the rehydration liquid for later use in the cooking process. If you need to rehydrate the Shiitake mushrooms quickly, use the method described here:



Three Crabs Brand Fish Sauce
(魚露, jyu⁴ lou⁶)

Technique: How to Quickly Rehydrate Dried Shiitake Mushrooms (冬菇, Dung¹ Gu¹).
3. Wash and cut one baby bok choy stalk into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces.
4. Wash and cut the red bell pepper in half. Cut one-half into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces. Save the unused portion for use in another dish in the refrigerator.
5. Open the marinated (five spice) bean curd package and cut half the package into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces. Save the unused portion for another dish in the refrigerator.
6. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
7. Wash and cut the green onions into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces on the diagonal.
8. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the Lee Kum Kee brand Premium Oyster Flavored Sauce or equivalent, Kim Ve Wong brand Thick Soy Sauce or equivalent, Three Crabs brand Fish Sauce or equivalent, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil.

Cooking Instructions

1. If using dried noodles, cook according to the instructions on the package until the noodles just become al dente, drain the noodles, and set aside. If using thawed, ready-made, or fresh noodles, “fluff” to separate the individual noodles (i.e. you don’t want to put a single mass of noodles into the wok). If you need to quickly rehydrate dried noodles, use the method described here: Technique: How to Quickly Rehydrate Dried Noodles.
2. Heat a wok or pan over high heat and before adding oil. The oil in the wok should start to smoke before adding the bowl with the ginger and garlic, and then the crab meat. Quickly stir fry the crab and set aside in a bowl.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil. Add the shrimp to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and stir fry until the shrimp just turn pink. The shrimp should look undercooked. You may have to cook the shrimp in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Transfer the shrimp to the bowl with the crab.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the Shiitake mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms and then transfer to the bowl with the crab.
5. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the marinated (five spice) bean curd. Stir fry the bean curd and then transfer to the bowl with the crab.
6. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil, and then the baby bok choy and red bell pepper. Quickly stir fry all the ingredients and then transfer to the bowl with the crab.
7. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil and then the noodles. The wok should be very hot before adding the oil and then the noodles. Noodles cooked in a restaurant wok (over much higher heat than that available in your kitchen) are served slightly burned, which gives the noodles an extra added flavor.  To try to emulate slightly burned noodles, try to put the noodles in one layer in the hot wok and add some of the mushroom rehydration liquid (but not too much liquid otherwise you’ll steam the noodles) to facilitate the heat transfer from the wok to the noodles, and leave the noodles alone. You want the noodles to get burned before adding more oil to the noodles and turning them over, repeating the process.
8. Add the contents of the bowl with the crab to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together with the noodles. Add the green onions and sauce ingredients to the wok and mix the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish and serve immediately.