Ingredients for Crab Soup
– 300g of paddy crabs
– 1 bunch of jute leaves
– 1 bunch of water spinach
– 2 Chinese cucumbers
Seasoning: Salt, seasoning powder or MSG
Instructions for Delicious Crab Soup
Step 1: Prepare the crabs and other ingredients
Add some salt to the crabs and place them in a basin. Shake vigorously, then rinse off any dirt on the crabs. Remove the shell and separate the golden roe, setting it aside. Place the roe in a sieve and gently rinse with water to clean it, as some of the dark liquid from the crab can cause a fishy taste when cooked. Put the crab bodies into a colander and rinse, then place them in a mortar with a little salt and pound until smooth. Salt is the secret to making the protein from the crab meat bind together, forming a solid chunk when cooked.
Add water to the mortar and use your hands to squeeze the crab meat, allowing it to settle, then filter the water. Continue pounding and filtering a few times to get all the meat.
For the vegetables, pick the young leaves of jute and water spinach, wash them, and chop finely. Peel and thinly slice the cucumbers.
Step 2: Cook the crab soup
The most important secret is controlling the temperature when cooking crab soup. Initially, after placing the pot on the stove, turn the heat to medium and stir in a circular motion in one direction to prevent the crab meat from sticking to the bottom and to blend well. When the meat has risen to the top, lower the heat and push the crab meat to one side or scoop it out into a separate bowl, pressing it gently to release its juices.
Add the jute leaves, water spinach, and Chinese cucumbers to the pot and cook until done. Season to taste. There are two ways to prepare the roe, depending on regional preferences: In the North, the crab roe is added directly to the soup, and the vegetables are cooked afterward.
In some southern provinces, however, the roe is sautéed with seasoned onions and then added to the soup. Ladle the soup into a bowl, and top with the crab meat. If you don’t remove the meat, push it to one side of the pot, and add the vegetables to the other side. The crab meat will still form an attractive solid chunk.
Step 3: The Final Product