Hunan Province — spicy crayfish culture began in the 1990s in Hunan; the annual Shrimp Festival in Yueyang has helped institutionalise the dish as Chinese summer food
Xiao long xia (spicy crayfish): one of China's great summer street foods — crayfish stir-fried with Hunan chili paste, garlic, ginger, Sichuan pepper, and an assortment of aromatics. The dish emerged in Hunan as a cheap, abundant protein in the 1990s and became a nationwide phenomenon. Shaoshan (Mao's hometown) mala crayfish is one of the most celebrated versions.
Fiery, numbing, deeply spiced — the Hunan contribution to China's summer nightlife food culture
{"Crayfish must be thoroughly scrubbed with a brush — they carry mud and bacteria in their shells","Remove the vein (intestinal tract) by twisting and pulling the central tail fan before cooking","Stir-fry at maximum heat with substantial oil — the shell requires high heat to impart flavour","Cook 8–10 minutes in the sauce after the initial high-heat fry — shells become permeable to the spice"}
{"The sauce is typically: doubanjiang, dried chili, Sichuan pepper, garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine — these can be varied by individual restaurant 'secret recipe'","Eat by twisting the head off (drink the head juices if desired), pinching the tail shell off, and eating the tail meat directly","Cold beer (pi jiu) is the canonical accompaniment — crayfish is fundamentally a drinking snack"}
{"Insufficient cleaning — mud and sand in the final dish","Not removing the vein — bitter intestinal flavour","Undercooking — crayfish flesh must be fully cooked (food safety)"}
Land of Fish and Rice — Fuchsia Dunlop