Frost's Descent · Dinner · Blood Stasis
Steamed mud crab with Shaoxing wine & egg white
Crabs are at their best at Frost's Descent: mud crab steamed on silky egg white with Shaoxing wine — sweet, delicate and fragrant.
- 35 min
- Serves 2
- Steam
- Medium
NeutralDisperses stasisWarms the vessels
Why it suits you: Blood Stasis often brings cold hands and feet and a dull complexion. In TCM, crab disperses stasis, while Shaoxing wine and ginger warm the vessels and balance the crab's coldness. Frost's Descent is crab season, and steaming keeps it light and sweet.
Method
Prep 20 min · Cook 15 min- 1Put the crab in the freezer for 15–20 minutes to sedate it. Scrub the shell, open it, remove the gills and innards, chop into pieces and crack the claws.
- 2Beat the egg whites with the stock, 2 tbsp wine and a pinch of salt. Pour into a deep plate and top with the crab and half the ginger.
- 3Steam over high heat for 12–15 minutes once the water boils, until the shell turns red and the egg white sets.
- 4Drizzle with the remaining wine, top with the spring onion and the rest of the ginger, pour over a little smoking-hot oil and serve.
Cautions
- Avoid during pregnancy or with a shellfish allergy. Crab is cold, so pause if your stomach is weak and cold or you have diarrhoea.
Chef's tips
- Choose a lively, fresh crab, and skim the bubbles off the egg white before steaming for a silkier set.
The TCM view
Crab is salty and cold, clearing heat and dispersing stasis; Shaoxing wine is sweet, pungent and warm and moves blood through the channels; fresh ginger is pungent and warm and counters the crab's cold; egg white is sweet and cool and moistens. Warm and cold together, it disperses stasis without upsetting the stomach.
