Ingredients
Shrimp, eggs, cooked crab meat, prawn crackers, fresh large prawns, breadcrumbs, cilantro, soaked green bamboo shoot strips, and chicken broth, all to taste.
Seasonings
to taste: rendered lard, Sichuan peppercorn salt, sesame oil, cleaned pork caul fat, minced scallions, ground white pepper, minced ginger, Shaoxing wine, fine salt, and cornstarch.
Instructions
1. Shell the large prawns, leaving the tails intact to create "phoenix-tail prawns." Coat both the prawns and the shrimp meat with salt, dried cornstarch, and egg white. Place a wok over heat, add an appropriate amount of lard and heat through, then briefly fry the minced ginger. Add the crab meat, Shaoxing wine, chicken broth, and salt, stir-frying until fragrant and well-seasoned. Thicken with a water-starch slurry, then remove from heat and let cool. Set aside the crab roe in a separate bowl. Sprinkle with white pepper and chopped scallions, then mix in the shrimp meat to form the filling. Prepare a scallion-and-pepper-salt batter by mixing scallions, Sichuan peppercorn salt, and eggs. Separately, mix eggs and dried cornstarch to make a whole-egg batter.
2. Dust both sides of each piece of pork caul fat with dry starch, then lay them flat on a cutting board and spread with scallion-pepper-salt egg batter. Place a phoenix-tail shrimp at one corner of each piece, divide the filling into ten equal portions, and wrap each portion in the caul fat to form a cone shape. Coat the outside with whole egg batter, roll in breadcrumbs, and tie the middle with green bamboo shoot shreds to create the gourd-shaped shrimp and crab base.
Place a wok over heat and pour in peanut oil. When the oil reaches 60% hot (about 350°F/175°C), gently add the gourd-shaped shrimp and crab dumplings and deep-fry until cooked through, then remove. Reheat the oil to 70% hot (about 375°F/190°C), return the dumplings and fry until golden brown. Remove and arrange around the edge of a large serving platter. Drizzle with sesame oil and sprinkle with Sichuan peppercorn salt. Add lobster crackers to the oil at 60% hot (about 350°F/175°C) and fry until puffed and crisp. Pile them in the center of the platter, top with crab roe, and garnish with cilantro. This dish is beautifully shaped and has a rich golden color.