Crab Roe Meat Buns

Crab Roe Meat Buns

　　Crab Roe Meat Buns

　　Highland Lake crabs are one of the aquatic products abundantly produced in Highland Lake. The characteristics of Highland Lake crabs are: large and plump bodies, tender white meat, and delicious flavor. Here, we introduce to netizens the unique and flavorful recipe for making Highland Lake Crab Roe Meat Buns:

　　I. Crab Oil Making Process

　　(1) Ingredients: Select 5000 grams of fresh Highland Lake crabs, preferably female crabs, with each crab weighing around 120 grams.

　　(2) Steaming the Crabs: Soak the crabs in clean water for 2–3 hours to allow them to purge any internal impurities. Then scrub off any dirt from the outside using a brush before steaming them. After steaming, rinse thoroughly with clean water before peeling.

　　(3) Cooking Crab Oil: First, add lard (in an amount equivalent to the crab meat), heat until smoke appears around the edges, then add the main body and roe of the crab, followed by the legs. Cook until fragrant, then add ginger, scallions, and a small amount of salt.

　　II. Crab Roe Meat Bun Making Process

　　(1) Main Ingredients and Seasonings: 30 grams of strong flour, 16 grams of crab oil, 12 grams of boneless hind leg pork, 4 grams of frozen dough skin, 5 grams of soy sauce, 2 grams of sesame oil, 2 grams of sugar, appropriate amounts of ginger-scallion juice, and a little pepper. Mix all filling ingredients in a bowl until well combined and set aside.

　　(2) Dough: Prepare fermented dough using strong flour and set aside. The method for making this fermented dough is as follows: mix the flour with water, then add the leavening agent, and knead into a dough—must be kneaded thoroughly and evenly. The amount of leavening agent, water temperature, and duration depend on the season. The dough preparation should follow the principle of “strong leavening, large fermentation; light fat, slow rise” to achieve the goal of “tight pinching with fine patterns, holding soup and forming round shapes.”

　　(3) Shaping and Forming the Dough: The dough skin is the foundation of bun shaping. The edges should be thin and the center thick, and the movements should be quick and agile. When pinching the buns: ensure tight, fine floral patterns with even distribution; the floral design should be consistent from start to finish. Placing in the steamer: arrange the buns in their original shape into the steamer basket—handle gently, place those made earlier in first, to prevent deformation. Steaming: This is the final and very important step in bun making. Even if the previous steps are done well, poor steaming will ruin everything. Steam when the water is boiling and steam is strong, usually for about 10 minutes.

　　In addition to timing, there are three methods to check whether the buns are cooked:

　　1. Observe the steam lines hanging from the steamer lid—if straight, they’re hot and cooked; if not straight, they’re not cooked.

　　2. Inside, check the clear soup in the lifted bun opening—if clear, it’s cooked; if murky, it’s not hot.

　　3. Check if the bun skin sticks to your hand—if it does, it’s not cooked; if it doesn’t stick, it’s cooked. Characteristics of Crab Roe Meat Buns: thin skin, generous filling, crab roe piled high on top, savory and delicious broth, highly nutritious.