I don’t highlight my culinary adventures enough on this blog, a shame really. Mostly I cook at home, which for me is like a glass of wine and a bout of meditation (i.e., relaxing). And while I love to cook this isn’t a food blog, my meals are for me and me alone. Though there are a couple things I need to get off my chest. First, I love my roommate. I am truly blessed by living with an amazing Japanese woman who loves to cook. She has opened my eyes and mouth to many amazing Japanese dishes that I had never tried before and I am constantly learning new cooking techniques. She is from the city of Sendai, which is north of Tokyo. Her idea of comfort food has been a nice counterpoint to the American/Italian food I often make and the Chinese food all around us; sushi making parties and savory Japanese beef stews have become common at my home. And get this, she loves flower arranging and makes sure that every room in the house has a fresh bouquet at all times. She is, in my mind, one of the best roomates ever. She is also a big fan of trying Chinese food recipes, like me, and sometimes will splurge on something really indulgents that she lets me devour. Two weeks ago it was salted caramel popcorn covered in chocolate (amazing) and avocados (expensive), and last week she purchased two hairy crabs and steamed them up for us.
Hairy crab, aka the mitten crab, aka 大闸蟹 (big sluice crab), aka 上海毛蟹 (Shanghai hairy crab). What is that, you ask? Hairy crabs are the top culinary item from Shanghai. Shanghai may be famous for it’s soup dumplings, wide array of seafood and subtly flavored cuisine, but as far as culinary items actually from this region, hairy crabs are number one. Unlike the lobster found in New England these crabs spend most of their time in freshwater and in China are largely limited to one area of lakes and estuaries around Shanghai. The most famous of these lakes is Yangcheng lake (阳澄湖), where the annual crab harvest (September-November) is celebrated with great enthusiasm here in Shanghai.
Being such a delicacy the crabs can fetch outrageous prices in restaurants, and nearly every one of the city’s restaurant seems to have some crab special during the fall. I am not a rich man, so the thousands of crab advertisments around the city have been nothing but a slap in the face for me. Being the holy grail of Shanghai cuisine and one of my all time favorite crustaceans (it’s hard to admit it, but sometimes I wonder if I in fact like crab more than New England lobster). As usual my roommate made my day and bought two to steam ‘em up for a nice dinner.
They are called hairy crabs because of the lumps of hair growing on their claws. These look like smudges of dark brown oil paint on a painter’s palette, or maybe the thick noxious algae that grows on the bottom of boats. Even though the claws are covered in something that can’t really be called hair the legs are, in fact, pretty hairy, so I guess we’re okay. Eating these expensive highly sought after delicacies is a pain in the ass. While using scissors, knives, forks, my teeth, and hands to pry the tiny little bits of meat from the creature I couldn’t help but think how easy it is to eat a lobster. My roommate was all about eating the crab’s grotesque inner organs, it’s an Asian thing. Me, not so much. One bite of the thick waxy orange goop and I was running to the kitchen for something to take the nasty flavor out of my mouth. Luckily the meat was actually amazing in all respects. Taking my roommate’s cue, I used a dipping sauce of about equal parts soy sauce and Chinese black vinegar (something I will definitely be using with lobster back in New England). Once you pry the meat from the creature (make sure not to get any crab “hair” with it) eating it is a pleasure. Sweet with a texture that is world’s away from overcooked lobster tail, it was divine. However, I already loved crab before trying the famous hairy crab and I’m still not really sure what the big difference is. It was delicious though.
Another culinary thing I’ve been up to lately is eating too many Beard Papa’s. The company really makes only one product (they do other stuff but no one cares): a pate choux pastry puff filled all the way with a luscious thick creme anglaise (other lesser flavors also available). It was love at first sight, much like me and Krispy Kreme (which, coincidentally, just opened their first Shanghai store). Beard Papas is a Japanese company that I first came in contact with in Beijing back in 2004 as a slacker high school exchange student, you can smell the butter goodness a mile away. I hear they exist in America as well but I have only seen them in Shanghai and Beijing, which is a shame really. Back in 2004 the name made us fans of the place even before we tried the product – it’s quite a memorable name with a Japanese-style cutesy logo of a bearded fisherman. When you do finally get to the front of the line and nab a Beard Papa’s and bite into its crackly puffy exterior and enter the reservoir of sweet custard that fills its innards – it’s almost too much. It’s like a creme brule to-go, except you are hard pressed to buy just one, or two or three…. I’ve found through exhausting experimentation that if you fill up on the first couple that you bought the extra one can go into the freezer for a late night snack. Let it thaw for a few minutes and eat with knife and fork, delicious.
