In China, I have never seen a place where I like eating crayfish more than Changsha. Although news broke out in the early years that crayfish are actually worms and not shrimps, and that they are heavily polluted by corpse cleaners, it seems that it has not affected the people of Changsha's love for them at all.
Every summer, my friends around me start to smack their lips, and they talk a lot about crayfish, "Girl, the summer nights are cool, why not eat crayfish, drink a night beer, talk about life, talk about ideals, how about ?” The girls groaned, but their tongues started to itch, so everyone ate it happily.
I actually don’t like eating crayfish very much. Because I have lived at the seaside for many years, plump shrimps are my favorite. Put the fresh shrimps into boiling water and simmer them, then dip them in the sauce you prepare. They are so delicious. Incredible. But Mr. Zhao was dismissive of this kind of delicacy. Since I returned to Changsha, he has been preaching in my ears that crayfish is spicy and delicious.
"Well, how about a meal?" I said.
So, on a sunny Saturday, Mr. Zhao got up early and took me to the aquatic product market to buy crayfish.
"You must choose the crayfish in person, and you have to go in the morning, otherwise the fresh ones will be gone." He told me seriously.
"Yeah." I listened not very seriously, thinking: I'll swipe my hands to see if you cry later.
I bought 6 kilograms of crayfish. Is it a lot? not much. When eating, there are not many shrimp tails left after breaking off the heads. This is one of the reasons why I don’t like crayfish very much. “It’s not cost-effective!” I said.
First rinse the crayfish several times with clean water, and then start brushing the shrimp. Mr. Zhao took a toothbrush and brushed it to make sure it was clean. He brushed each step carefully, "especially the abdomen," said Mr. Zhao. "Well, let's brush it well." I sat on the sofa, reading a book and drinking juice, and occasionally glanced at the hard-working shrimp brusher in the kitchen.
After more than two hours, Mr. Zhao finally finished brushing all the shrimps. After taking a long breath and resting for a while, he rolled up his sleeves and prepared to start cooking crayfish. It is said that the most delicious way to prepare crayfish is "spicy crayfish". I have lived in Chengdu for several years and this is the best way to eat spicy crayfish, so I can't help but look forward to it with joy.
To make spicy crayfish, you need to prepare a lot of ingredients: dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, fennel, bay leaves, green onions, ginger, garlic, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, cooking wine, hot sauce, etc. After preparing them one by one, Zhao The husband shouted in the kitchen: "Wait for the spicy crayfish I made!" "Come on!" I gave a burst of "cracking" applause.
At this time, I read a wonderful chapter in the book, so I concentrated on reading, no longer caring about the busy shrimp frying people in the kitchen. Only when waves of aroma hit his nostrils did he come back to his senses and saw that Mr. Zhao's spicy crayfish had been taken out of the pot and was being plated. It looks bright in color, only clear and steaming, tempting the taste buds of those with an appetite. I couldn't wait to pick one up and bite it. "Ah! Why does it taste bitter?" I quickly vomited. "Haha," Mr. Zhao laughed and said, "I don't even know how to eat crayfish. Come on, come on, I'll teach you."
It turns out that eating crayfish is very troublesome. You have to break off the head first and leave the rest. Remove the shrimp tail, peel off the shell and pull out the shrimp thread. "Ouch! It's really troublesome, I don't even want to eat it." I couldn't help complaining. But some people worked hard and the taste was really attractive, so it was a pity to abandon it, so they continued to learn clumsily.
After eating, we continued drinking and chatting.
"You said you are too unkind and don't even help me clean the shrimps." Mr. Zhao said.
"Hey, this is an unequal relationship. You love crayfish so much that you have to eat them, but I don't have them. I don't care whether you eat them or not."
"Then you eat so much." Mr. Zhao pointed out Pointing to the mountain of shrimp shells in front of me.
"Some people, please don't ask me to praise their cooking skills on purpose, okay? Allah just looks at your hard work, okay." I deliberately imitated the accent of a Shanghainese, and both of us laughed with joy.
At the end of the article, Mr. Zhao’s shrimp recipe is attached. I think it’s quite delicious!
1, after the oil is heated in the pan, add chili, pepper, onion, ginger, garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, then add bay leaves, star anise, cumin, oyster sauce, hot sauce and other spices;
2, add crayfish and stir-fry
3 , pour cooking wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, add rock sugar and stir-fry until the shrimps are slightly rolled, pour an appropriate amount of water, cover and simmer over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, finally add salt to taste, and serve after the juice is reduced over high heat. Pot!
Changsha, the summer nights are long, but crayfish and love cannot be let down.
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