Fried Crab Substitute

Fried Crab Substitute

　　Among the official dishes of Zhili cuisine, there is one called “Fried Crab Substitute.” As the name suggests, this dish offers the flavor of crab without using any actual crab meat. It is savory, slightly salty and sour, richly aromatic, and though not crab, it certainly tastes like it. This ingenious crab-flavored creation without any real crab was specially prepared by the chefs at Zhangjia Workshop, a renowned restaurant in Baoding—the capital of Zhili at the time—for Zeng Guofan, who served as the Zhili Viceroy.

　　Legend has it that Zeng Guofan had a particular fondness for crab. In the seventh year of the Tongzhi reign, he was appointed Viceroy of Zhili and stationed in Baoding, during the heart of winter. At that time, crabs were unavailable in North China’s cold season. Local officials from various levels hosted a welcoming banquet for the new viceroy at Zhangjia Workshop. Ge Luoxiu, the shop owner and a famed chef of his generation, sought to make up for the absence of crab and cater to Zeng's taste. After much deliberation, and drawing inspiration from the color and flavor of crab meat, he used chicken eggs and fish as the main ingredients. Through meticulous and secret preparation, he created a dish called “Fried Crab Substitute”—a dish that offered the taste of crab without using any crab. Viceroy Zeng Guofan was highly impressed after tasting it, and it became a special feature of Zhili official banquets. Whenever important guests were invited, this dish would be recommended to them and received widespread acclaim. From the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republican period, Ren Yunzhang, a celebrated chef from Baoding, mastered the preparation of this dish and gradually refined it further in terms of color and taste, achieving an effect so realistic it could easily be mistaken for real crab.