Kouwei Xia (Spicy Crayfish)
A famous late-night street snack from Hunan, China, featuring tender crayfish in a fiery, aromatic sauce. Addictively delicious!
Ingredients
14 items- Crayfish 1000 g
- Dried red chili peppers 30 g
- Sichuan peppercorns 10 g
- Ginger 30 g
- Garlic 30 g
- Star anise 2 pieces
- Cinnamon stick 1 small piece
- Beer 500 ml
- Light soy sauce 2 tbsp
- Oyster sauce 1 tbsp
- White sugar 1 tsp
- Perilla leaves (optional) 1 bunch
- Salt 1 tsp
- Vegetable oil 100 ml
Nutrition
Steps （8 steps）
Prepare crayfish: scrub thoroughly, snip off the head sac, pull out the vein, rinse and drain. About 10 minutes.
Prepare aromatics: cut chilies, slice ginger, crush garlic; set aside. About 5 minutes.
Sauté aromatics: heat oil in wok over medium heat until shimmering; add ginger, garlic, star anise, cinnamon; stir until fragrant. Add chilies and Sichuan peppercorns, cook until chilies darken, about 1 minute.
Stir-fry crayfish: add crayfish and turn heat to high; stir-fry quickly until shells turn bright red and curl, about 3 minutes.
Braise with beer: pour in beer; add soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, salt; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer 12 minutes until meat is cooked through.
Reduce sauce: uncover, turn heat to high; cook until sauce thickens and clings to shells, about 2 minutes.
Add perilla: sprinkle perilla leaves, toss to combine; turn off heat, cover and let rest 1 minute to release aroma.
Serve: transfer to a large plate; drizzle with remaining sauce; garnish with sesame or scallions if desired.
Tips
Scrub crayfish thoroughly and devein; do not overheat spices to prevent bitterness; beer is essential for depth and removing fishy flavor; perilla adds a distinctive flavor (optional but recommended).
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