Crab Claws on Mung Bean Noodles (Crab Claw Tang Hoon)

Crab Claw Tang Hoon

I dreamt that I was queuing up to buy nasi lemak at a stall the other night and after quite a wait, it was finally my turn. But the seller decided to go off to do something else, leaving me to wait. And wait. And wait.

I was feeling the frustration building up in me as I could see the packets of nasi lemak behind the counter and yet couldn't get my hands on them. Come on, just sell them to me, I (silently) urged the seller. But he was still busy doing something else.

I woke up in anger and realised that it was only a dream, though I guess it's real enough that I still do not have any nasi lemak to eat.

No, I'm not going to make any nasi lemak today, I'll keep it for when MIL comes, I suspect that she would enjoy trying out the dish. Once awake I had another craving and it was for a totally different Crab Claw Tang Hoon.

The good thing about the Chinese whether you like them or not is that they are everywhere. I had an Ethiopian penpal when I was a teenager and he told me once that the one Chinese restaurant in Addis Ababa did daily buffets - that in the midst of a severe famine in the country. I could never figure that one out.

Anyway, that was to say that I could find mung bean noodles (tang hoon) easily here in Modena thanks to the Chinese presence. Though I wish they had better taste in instant noodles and would stock other brands than the lousy Chinese or Filipino ones. But then there are many Filipinos here in Modena so that's understandable.

Crab Claws on Mung Bean Noodles :

5-6 Stone Crab Claws

Cornstarch for dusting

Fresh Ginger (julienned)

Garlic (sliced)

Fresh Chilli (julienned)

Spring Onions (sliced both lengthwise and chopped into rounds)

Fried Shallots for garnishing

100g Dried Mung bean noodles (soaked in warm water and drained)

A handful of Leafy Greens (e.g. Chinese water spinach)

1 Tbsp Sugar

2 Tbsp light Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce

2 Tbsp Chinese cooking wine

A few drops of Sesame Oil

Hot Water or Fish Stock

Dust the crab claws with some corn starch and fry them in hot oil. Remove, bash with a cleaver and set aside.

In a wok, brown the ginger, garlic and chilli in some peanut oil. When they are fragrant add the leafy greens.

Add the mung bean noodles when the vegetables start to wilt followed by the length-wise cut spring onions.

Pour in the sauce and return the crabs to the wok.

Stir-fry to mix well then pour in enough hot water or stock to cover the crab claws.

Simmer for a few minutes and then pour out into a serving dish.

Garnish with chopped spring onions and fried shallots.

I've found a music video of my favourite Spanish singer Rosario singing Agua y Sal. It's on my sidebar now. Wish my lost Rosario CD would turn up soon, stupid Hub removed it from the car and didn't put it back into its box and now it's like looking for a needle in the haystack with the hundreds of cds we have...