Crab bee hoon shot to fame when chef Anthony Bourdain raved about the dish after trying it at a street-side joint in infamous Geylang. When done well, this pretty dish is a great mix of saucy noodles and chunks of crab. To find out how to recreate the crab bee hoon recipe at home, we checked out Chinese Home Cooking with Sam Leong – a cookbook by Singapore’s very own celebrity chef, which features many recipes handed down from his grandmother to his mother.
This crab bee hoon recipe is great for when in-laws or other out-of-town guests come to visit. It will definitely add the wow factor to your dinner!
Wok-Fried Vermicelli with Crab (serves 4)
Ingredients
- 2 crabs, each about 500g
- Cooking oil for deep frying
- 10 slices ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 spring onion, cut into 1cm pieces
- 80g white hon shimeji mushrooms
- 300g dried thin vermicelli (bee hoon), soaked in water for 30 minutes and drained
Stock
- 800ml chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- Pinch of ground white pepper
- Dash of Chinese cooking wine
Directions
- Prepare the crabs by pulling off the top shells and cleaning them. Cut off the pincers and cut the bodies into quarters.
- Heat the oil and deep-fry the crabs for about one minute. Drain and set aside.
- Heat three tablespoons of oil in a wok and add the ginger, garlic, spring onion, mushrooms and crabs, stir-frying until fragrant.
- Add ingredients for stock and bring to the boil.
- Add the vermicelli and stir-fry until the sauce is thick.
- Serve immediately.
Where to find crab bee hoon in Singapore
Red House Seafood
A bustling place with some riverside seating. Don’t miss the special seafood combination curry. Available at Esplanade and Grand Copthorne Waterfront.
Mellben Seafood
A hawker-style joint in an HDB block which often has long queues.
232 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, Street 22, #01-1222 | 6285 6762
Sin Huat Eating House
Literally a one-man show, from the cooking to the service. Gets very mixed reviews; there’s no menu and prices can be exorbitant, especially for a place with street-shack ambience. $70 for two people.
659-661 Geylang Road | 6744 9755
De Golden Spoon Seafood
62 Seng Poh Lane, #01-11 | 9118 5544
Chin Huat Live Seafood
#01-30 Sunset Way, 105 Clementi Street 12 | 6775 7348
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