Crab Hiding Pearls
Beijing-style Crab Belly Hidden Pearls: crab meat and pork filling stuffed into crab shells, topped with quail eggs and steamed, then sealed with a coating of egg-white slurry.
Ingredients
Crab (washed and scrubbed clean, shell cut open and reserved)
2
Quail eggs (steamed until cooked and peeled)
8
Minced ham
1/2 tbsp
Egg white (beaten until foamy)
1
Lean pork (minced)
3 liang
Wine (ingredient, for marinating crab meat and brushing the crab shell)
1/2 tsp
Sesame oil (ingredient, amount not specified)
a pinch
White pepper (ingredient, amount not specified)
a pinch
Salt (seasoning, amount not specified)
a pinch
Sugar (seasoning, amount not specified)
a pinch
Light soy sauce (seasoning, amount not specified)
a pinch
Cornstarch (seasoning and ingredient for steps)
a pinch
Egg yolk (seasoning)
1
Instructions
1
Step 1
Wash and scrub the crab clean, cut open the shell and reserve it. Steam the rest of the crab whole, remove the meat from the body cavity, mix it with the seasonings, while keeping the claws and pincers intact.
2
Step 2
Steam the quail eggs until cooked, then peel them.
3
Step 3
Mince the lean pork, add the seasonings and mix well, then add the crab meat and minced ham and combine evenly.
4
Step 4
Brush a little wine over the crab shells. Stuff the pork mixture and two quail eggs into the crab shells. Pile the remaining pork and quail eggs onto a plate, and arrange the stuffed crab shells on top of the claws and pincers to form a crab shape at both ends of the plate. Steam over water for 20 minutes, then remove.
5
Step 5
Beat the egg white until foamy, add 1/2 tsp cornstarch and 1/2 tbsp water, then beat again until combined. Cook over a bain-marie until it thickens to a paste, briefly blanch in boiling water, then remove. Place at the crab's mouth to finish.
