The vivid dream I had in the early hours of the morning on the day I was to step In the Kitchen with, chef de cuisine, Nelson Zou, indicated that I was nervous. My racing pulse as I approached the kitchens of Sha Tin 18 later that day confirmed my feeling. Not only was I going to attempt to create a signature dish from Dongguan to restaurant standard, I was entering cuisine territory that to say I was unfamiliar with cooking would have been an understatement.

Dish: Steamed Egg Custard with Crab Roe and Minced Pork - 肉鬆蒸鮮膏蟹餅

It's Alive, It's Alive!

We decided that as I was still unripe and under-seasoned in the professional kitchen that Chef Nelson would break the dish down into several key stages, he would go first and I would follow - ideally with little or no help or direction.

The first stage was to prepare the crab...this involved killing a crab with a swift plunge of the chopper, removing the shell, removing the gills and other inedible bits, removing the roe from the shell and the gunk, chopping the body into four pieces and cracking the claws, followed by a good cleaning. Sounds simple right? In the capable hands of Chef Nelson it was, but in mine...

I attempted to place the wriggling crab on its 'back' so that I could kill it by plunging my massive chopper through the middle of the crab's body. I have a feeling that Chef Nelson knows how to place live crabs in a meditative state as his was cooperative. Mine, however, was intent in wrapping its legs around my hand in a similar grip that I imagine a boa constrictor gives. After a little direction from the expert I was able to quickly bring my instrument of death far enough into the crab's body to proceed but not too far as the shell needed to remain intact.

When Chef Nelson removed the shell of his crab, he put the end of the chopper (closest to the handle) between the shell and the body, and with some concentration pushed down on the chopper while lifting up the shell in one smooth motion. I began by putting the front of the chopper into the spot and I was about to push down when all I could hear was "NO, NO, NO", said with a certain urgency by Chef Nelson. This is because I had the wrong end in the crab and the way I was holding and pushing could have easily lead to the following headline, "Food writer dies in freak kitchen accident"...for had I slipped or perhaps even continued I could have easily opened my stomach instead of the crab.

Potential-spurting-blood-everywhere moment averted I was poised with the right end in and I pushed, and I pushed, and I pushed, but would the bugger shift, would it bugger! Off to the gym me thinks. To finish this part the expert had to step in and give me a start...which made me have a face like :(

Chef Nelson's crab had been full of delicious, sensual, bright orange roe...and a little black "dirt" (with the same gelatinous texture as roe) that needed to be removed...my crab was doing its impression of The Creature from The Black Lagoon, filled to the brim with slick, slimy blackness that I had to remove with my fingers, with just a smidgen of roe. Gross.

Chopping the 10-12 tael crab (which comes from Humen, Dongguan) into four resulted in me bruising one hand and leaving the other in pain for a few days...due to my inexperience when I brought my left hand down to 'bang' on the top of the cleaver it came down in the wrong place, again, and again...there is more to the art of skilful chopper technique than I imagined.

Attention to Detail

The next stage looked easy, even for the novice. Consisting of placing in a bowl 200gms pork fat, 100gms lean pork (minced or finely chopped), three eggs, three smashed garlic cloves, sliced ginger, Chinese purple "basil" (purple shiso, approx. 0.1 grams shredded), salt (about 1/2 heaped tsp), a little Chinese yellow wine, and sesame oil, plus the roe and a little pepper, and mixing with the fingers until all the ingredients come together and the roe is evenly mixed through.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I thought I can do this, no problem. And, I did, mostly. A valuable lesson learned, attention to detail and the strive for perfection is what drives the passionate chef. Despite knowing that my roe was not evenly mixed, I was given the nod by the chef (probably as the dishes needed to be finished near to each other for the taste test and I was taking too long) and I didn't say anything even though I knew...not good enough. Getting the roe perfectly mixed through results in a better, more even taste, and a wonderful golden yellow colour, while my dish was way too pale when cooked...tasting notes below.

Anyhoo, once the ingredients are mixed together it is placed in a shallow pottery (casserole) dish, the crab pieces, which have been steamed for four minutes (around 6mins at home), are placed on top to resemble its former shape as a crab. It is then placed in a steamer for 11 mins (around 15mins at home). 

The Taste Test

Once the dish is cooked, but before it over cooks, it is removed from the steamer and placed directly on the gas for 3-4mins on medium heat, draining any excess liquid that rises...in the final minute a sprinkle of pepper is added...you can tell when it is ready as the sweet crab and peppery aroma begin to fill the air and a slightly burnt smell is also present. This finishing to the dish adds a crunchy bottom, providing textural contrast and taste. Once done place the crab shell back on and sprinkle with coriander. This all went smoothly.

Chef Nelson and I then sat down together to eat a little from each dish. The interesting thing about this dish is that despite the fat content it does not taste fatty (the final fire treatment at the end is partially responsible) just rich, with an excellent harmony of flavours that makes you want to eat more. After having tried the professional's dish it was on to mine...personally I thought the taste was good, although it did not have the flavour consistency that it should have and Chef Nelson rightly pointed out that there was a tad too much salt. Not a bad effort, although in the chef's eyes not good enough to unleash on my Chinese friends yet, that would require a few more times In the Kitchen he said, which I was invited to do.

I felt honoured that Chef Nelson had chosen one of his signature dishes for me to attempt and I experienced that it takes 100 per cent focus to cook like the pros because this was not a hard dish to make, but it does take skill to make it perfectly. 

To any chefs that might be interested in being In the Kitchen with me know that I take responsibility for any self-inflicted injuries as I develop my iron palm.

Chef Nelson's Review

Chef Nelson is an expert in homestyle Dongguan cuisine. Personally, I think he was being a little generous with my mark out of 10. 

Vicki is a fast learner. Considering that she's new to Chinese cooking, she did a very good job.

Killing a crab is not easy, even for many experienced chefs; but it was well executed by Vicki, and the taste of her dish was very good.

If she wants to improve on preparing this dish, she can spend more efforts in blending the crab roe and egg mixture, which would make the dish smell and taste better.

Vicki can also practice on how to use a Chinese chopper confidently and safely, so as to give her as much power as possible. I was a little worried when I saw that her grip was improper, which may lead to accidents easily.

In the end, I always believe that practice makes perfect so the key to success is to start trying at home! 

Score: 9 out of 10.