Braised Crab in Bean Sauce

Ingredients

• 500 g Crab (river crab or swimming crab preferred)
• 30–50 g Bean paste
• 0–15 g Rock sugar
• 15 ml Dark soy sauce
• 20 ml Vegetable oil (unrefined rapeseed oil or peanut oil)
• 15 ml Tomato paste
• 5 ml Rice wine
• 10 g Old ginger
• 10 g Spring onion
• 1 Egg
• 50 g Minced pork
• 500 ml Water

Method

Kill the crabs before you start — a sharp knife through the cross on the shell's underside is fastest and most humane. Rinse them thoroughly under cold water, scrubbing away any silt from the joints. Split each crab lengthways with a heavy knife, then crack the claws to expose the meat. This isn't steaming alone; what you're doing is braising in a sealed environment where the crab's own moisture and the bean sauce create a close, humid heat that cooks the flesh through whilst the aromatics infuse into every crevice.

Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat until it shimmers — about 30 seconds. Add the minced ginger and bean paste together; the ginger will sing within 10 seconds, your kitchen will smell of fermented soy and warm spice. This is the moment to fry them out, letting the bean paste darken slightly at the edges — that's umami concentrating. Add the rock sugar and stir constantly; you'll feel it soften, then break down into a loose glaze that catches the heat. Stop when small bubbles form across the surface — this is flavour-building at its most direct. Add the tomato paste, dark soy, and rice wine in quick succession. The mixture should smell dense and savoury now, almost sweet.

Spread half of this sauce across the base of a shallow ceramic dish or heatproof plate. Lay the crab halves cut-side down on top — this contact with the sauce layer is essential because it conducts heat and lets the meat absorb the braising liquid. Scatter the ginger slices over the crab, then the spring onion. Mix the minced pork with a pinch of salt and a splash of rice wine, then dot it across the crab pieces — the pork will cook in the steam and add body to the final sauce. You can crack the egg over everything now or stir it into the remaining sauce beforehand; beaten in, it will thicken the liquid into a glossy coating.

Cover the dish tightly with foil or a steamer lid. Steam over boiling water for 10–12 minutes. The crab is done when the shell turns opaque orange-red and the meat pulls cleanly from the shell with a chopstick — test the thickest claw joint. The cooking time depends on crab size; a large specimen may need 14 minutes. Finish with a scatter of spring onion flowers and a drizzle of sesame oil. Eat straight from the dish with steamed rice.