Hunan Kou Wei Xia

Kou Wei Xia is the undisputed king of Changsha's midnight dining scene — entire streets come alive after 10 pm with towers of scarlet crayfish doused in a fiercely spicy sauce of dried chillis, fresh chillis, ginger, garlic, and fermented black beans. The dish swept China from the 1990s onward and is now synonymous with Hunan summer nights. The ritual of cracking open the claws and sucking the sauce-soaked heads is considered part of the pleasure.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) live or fresh crayfish, scrubbed clean
• 8 dried er jing tiao or facing heaven chillis
• 8 fresh red bird's eye chillis, halved
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) Pixian doubanjiang
• 5 cm piece ginger, sliced
• 8 cloves garlic, smashed
• 4 spring onions, cut into 5 cm lengths
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) fermented black beans (douchi)
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) neutral oil
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) Shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) sugar
• 300 ml (1¼ cups) water or chicken stock
• 1 tsp (5 ml) sesame oil
• Fresh coriander, to serve

Instructions

1. Prepare crayfish: using scissors, snip off the antennae and scrub shells with a stiff brush under cold running water. Devein by twisting and pulling the middle tail fin to extract the intestinal tract.
2. Heat oil in a large wok over high heat. Add dried and fresh chillis; stir-fry 1 minute until the oil turns deep red and fragrant. Add doubanjiang and douchi; fry 1–2 minutes more.
3. Add ginger and garlic; toss 30 seconds. Add crayfish and toss vigorously in the chilli oil for 3–4 minutes until the shells turn fully red.
4. Splash in Shaoxing wine; let it sizzle 30 seconds. Add soy sauces, sugar, and water or stock. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook over medium-high heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring halfway, until the crayfish are cooked through and the sauce has reduced and concentrated.
5. Remove the lid; toss over high heat for 2 minutes to glaze the shells. Add spring onion and sesame oil; toss once more.
6. Pile into a large bowl and top with fresh coriander. Serve immediately with plenty of napkins and cold beer.

Cook's Notes: The earlier you source live crayfish the better — they should be active. If only frozen tails are available, reduce cooking time to 4–5 minutes. The sauce is the star — use good doubanjiang for the best result. Leftover sauce is extraordinary tossed through noodles.