Ingredients:
– Crawfish: 1500g
– Cooking oil: 250g
– Salt: 25g
– Garlic (split): 50g
– Chicken essence: 25g
– Monosodium glutamate: 20g
– Ginger (sliced): 50g
– Thirteen-spice powder: a pinch
– White vinegar: 30g
– White sugar: 30g
– Baijiu (liquor): 50g
– Doubanjiang (fermented bean paste): 50g
– Oyster sauce: 10g
– Scallion whites and cilantro: to taste
– Dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns: to taste
– Beer (enough to submerge crawfish): 650ml
– Spice bag: 1 pack
Instructions:
1. Rinse crawfish in clean water and scrub thoroughly with a brush.
2. Remove the mud vein by pinching the central tail fin, twisting and pulling it out.
3. Cut the head at about 1/2 from the top, preserving the roe while removing the dark sac.
4. Split the back from tail to head to enhance flavor absorption.
5. Heat oil (250g) until 80% hot. Sauté ginger, garlic, dried chilies, peppercorns, doubanjiang, and sugar until fragrant. (If using Yijie’s spice pack, omit other seasonings.)
6. Add crawfish and stir-fry until shells turn slightly red. Add spice bag, salt, baijiu, vinegar, and oyster sauce. Continue stir-frying until shells brighten. Pour beer to barely cover crawfish, add thirteen-spice powder, cover, and simmer on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
7. When sauce reduces, adjust saltiness. Add monosodium glutamate and chicken essence, stir until sauce thickens. Garnish with scallions or cilantro before serving.
Cooking Tips:
– Use fresh crawfish.
– This dish requires ample oil—over 250g for 1.5kg crawfish.
– Total cooking time should be 30 minutes to retain tenderness.
– Use beer instead of water for simmering.
– Optional additives like Huiwei paste or Dakexiang powder may be used for enhanced flavor. (Yijie’s secret marinade requires no additions.)
– Contact: WeChat yijie19562
– Recommended cookware: Wok
– For more Hubei cuisine techniques, search ‘Hubei dishes’.
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