Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter, Hong Kong — the floating community kitchens that created one of Hong Kong's most distinctive culinary traditions
Bi feng tang chao xie: Hong Kong typhoon shelter-style crab stir-fried with a mountain of crispy fried garlic, dried chili, black bean paste, and spring onion. The technique originated from the floating restaurants of Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter in Hong Kong — poor fishing communities who cooked elaborate dishes on small boats.
Intensely garlicky, savoury, slightly spicy, with the sweetness of crab — bold and aromatic
{"Garlic must be fried to a uniform golden-brown crisp — not burnt, not pale","Crab is pre-cooked (steamed or fried) before the final wok assembly","Black bean paste and dried shili form the aromatic base — cooked briefly in oil","Final assembly is fast — just to coat crab in aromatic mixture"}
{"Fry garlic in batches in well-controlled oil — 160°C, not higher, to avoid burning","Mantis shrimp (pi pi xia) and other shellfish work well with this technique","Some cooks add breadcrumbs with the garlic for additional texture"}
{"Burning the garlic — ruins the entire dish with bitterness","Using pre-cooked crab that is already cold — needs to be hot when assembled","Insufficient garlic quantity — the crispy garlic mountain is the signature feature"}
Land of Fish and Rice — Fuchsia Dunlop