Cellophane Noodles with Crab and Black Pepper (Mien Xao Cua)

By Andrea Nguyen, Author, Into the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors

Serves 2 as a main course or 4 to 6 with 2 or 3 other dishes.

Cooked meat and tomalley and fat from a 2-pound Dungeness crab (about 1/2 pound crabmeat and 1/4 cup tomalley and fat)
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce
½ to ¾ teaspoon black pepper, preferably freshly ground
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil
1 large shallot or small yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 dried wood ear mushrooms, reconstituted, stemmed, and cut into 1/8-inch-wide strips (about ¼ cup)
¼ pound cellophane noodles, soaked in hot water until pliable, drained, and cut into 10-inch lengths

1. In a bowl, combine the tomalley and fat, egg, water, fish sauce, pepper, and chopped cilantro and mix well. Measure the mixture; you want about ¾ cup total. Add water if needed.

2. In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, or until soft. Add the crabmeat and mushrooms and stir-fry for about 1 minute, or until aromatic. Add the noodles and continue to stir-fry for about 2 minutes, or until they begin to soften. The noodles will look a bit dry.

3. Give the tomalley mixture a good stir and pour over the noodles. Quickly work the mixture into the noodles to ensure an even distribution of flavors, lowering the heat if the noodles begin to clump. In about 2 minutes, the noodles will become translucent and lightly golden.

4. Remove from the heat and taste and adjust with extra sprinkles of fish sauce and/or pepper. Transfer to a serving plate and serve immediately.

Chef’s Note: If only blue crabs are available, substitute 9 or 10 crabs (3 1/3 pounds total) for the Dungeness. If you prefer not to use the tomalley and fat, or if there isn’t any, use 2 eggs instead of 1 egg and increase the fish sauce in step 1 to 2 tablespoons.

Reprinted with permission from Into The Vietnamese Kitchen by Andrea Nguyen, copyright (c) 2006 Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA. www.tenspeed.com