T+L Michelin Masters Recipe: Crab and Shrimp Sticky Rice

In Hong Kong, Michelin-starred chef Danny Yip’s recipe for crab and shrimp sticky rice bolsters The Chairman’s claim to Asia’s Best Restaurant 2021.

By Chris Dwyer

Oct 27, 2021

WE’D SAY 2021 HAS BEEN a decent year for Danny Yip. The chef-owner of The Chairman saw his iconic eatery voted No. 1 in Asia’s 50 Best (a first for both a Cantonese restaurant, and a Hong Kong restaurant), and finally be awarded the Michelin star many of us have long thought he deserves. Naturally, we were basically required to chase him down for our Michelin Masters Recipes Week.

Despite multiple accolades, Yip couldn’t be further from the image of a shouty celebrity chef and is as understated and modest as his Sheung Wan restaurant, preferring to stay behind the scenes and let his food do the talking. And wow, what food. He has worked tirelessly for years to perfect The Chairman’s truly unique take on Cantonese cuisine, crafting dishes that have a common thread throughout: utter deliciousness, with occasional unexpected accents and ingredients.

Michelin Masters HK — *Danny Yip, chef-owner of The Chairman*

If you thought, for example, that the righteous Cantonese classic of char siu (glazed roast pork) couldn’t be improved, then think again: they use local piggies, paint the meat with rose-scented sugar and cook it to order. Our verdict? Insanely tasty.

And in a city famed for its love of seafood, Yip’s fish and crustacean dishes particularly entice. One of his signatures is steamed fresh flower crab with aged Shaoxing wine over flat rice noodles. It’s a generous serving, designed to share — the only problem is that you’ll want it all for yourself.

Crab is again the star of the show, alongside dried shrimp, in this very special sticky rice recipe that Yip has shared with T+L Southeast Asia. It’s absolutely worth the effort to make it, a fabulous mix of seafood textures and flavors. And while doing so, you’ll also give yourself a taste of the exciting wave of progressive Cantonese restaurants for which Hong Kong is increasingly known.

RECIPE:

Steamed Crab Meat and Dried Sakura Shrimp Sticky Rice

Ingredients
(serves 8- 10 people)

1/2 kg Sticky rice
15g Dried Chinese mushrooms
180g Cooked crab meat
15g Diced pork lard
120g Clam stock (or chicken stock)
30g Dried sakura shrimps
60g Dried scallops (a.k.a. conpoy)
2 Spring onions
1 Dried lotus leaf
½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp light soy sauce

Method

Rinse the sticky rice with water until the water is clear. Soak the sticky rice in water for 2 hours, then strain the rice.

Coarsely break apart the crab meat. Place conpoy in a rice bowl with 4 tablespoons water, steam for 2 hours. Shred the scallops. Soak dried Chinese mushrooms in cold water for 2 hours, squeeze the mushrooms to get rid of excess water, coarsely dice.

Fry pork lard in wok for one minute, then add the sticky rice with half of the crabmeat, sakura shrimps, mushrooms and conpoy. Mix well, add salt, sugar, light soy sauce and the clam stock. Stir-fry for 2 minutes over medium heat.

Transfer the rice mix into a Chinese bamboo steamer with lotus leaves placed underneath, then steam for 20 minutes. Mince the spring onion, stir-fry for 1 minute with remaining crab meat. When the rice is cooked, scatter the rest of the crab meat and spring onion on top. Serve immediately.

All photos courtesy of The Chairman

If you enjoyed this sticky rice recipe by chef Danny Yip, check out the rest of our T+L Michelin Masters series.