Kani Ankake: Crab Fried Rice
4
servings
Main
Course
Print Recipe
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
2 tbsp
plus 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
4
eggs, beaten
2
scallions (about 2 ounces), trimmed and chopped
4 c
cooked rice, warm, clumps broken up
2 tbsp
soy sauce
1 tsp
salt
Pinch ground black pepper
Ankake
8 oz
crabmeat (canned is fine, about 1 cup)
1 c
torigara stock (recipe below)
4 oz
iceberg lettuce leaves, cut into bite-size pieces
1
(1/2 inch) piece ginger, peeled and julienned
1 tsp
salt
¼ tsp
ground black pepper
2 tsp
katakuriko (potato starch) dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
Torigara Stock
1 lb
chicken bones (wings and carcass okay too)
12 c
water, plus more for boiling
With this dish, the fried rice is cooked very simply, with just eggs and scallions. The mojo here comes in the form of the ankake, which is a sauce thickened with potato starch, in this case, one made with ginger-infused crabmeat. Glorious. To eat, spoon up some ankake with the fried rice.
Directions
Torigara Stock
- Place the chicken bones in a large pot and fill with enough water to cover, then bring to a boil over high heat. Strain the bones, discard the water, and rinse the bones under cold, running water to remove any scum. Return the bones to the pot, add the 12 cups of water, and bring to a boil again over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium and simmer until the stock reduces to approximately 8 cups, about 30 minutes. Remove any scum that appears on the surface as the stock is cooking. When it’s ready, strain the liquid and discard the bones. Use now or store in the freezer, tightly covered, for up to 2 months.
Kani Ankake
- Heat 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil in a wok over high heat. Add the eggs and gently scramble until set, about 10 seconds. Remove the eggs and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil in a wok over high heat. Add the scallions and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 sec¬onds, until they give off an oniony smell. Add the rice, and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds more. Add the soy sauce, salt, pepper, and cooked eggs. Cook, stir¬ring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil, and cook, stirring constantly, for 10 more sec¬onds. Turn off the heat.
- Arrange 4 plates on a work surface, and ready 4 small bowls to serve as molds (rice bowls are ideal). Spoon one-fourth of the cooked rice into a bowl, then quickly flip the bowl over, and rest it on top of the plate rice side down. Do not remove the bowl for now; it will keep the rice warm. Repeat with the remaining 3 bowls. Set aside.
- To prepare the ankake, add the crab, tori¬gara stock, lettuce, ginger, salt, and pepper to a saucepan and bring to a boil over heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 2 minutes, mixing occasionally. Add the katakuriko mixture, and cook, stirring constantly, for about 15 seconds. Turn off the heat.
- Unmold the rice by removing the bowls covering it. Pour about one-fourth of the ankake either alongside each serv¬ing of rice or over it, as you desire. Serve immediately.
Reprinted with permission from Japanese Soul Cooking: Ramen, Tonkatsu, Tempura, and More from the Streets and Kitchens of Tokyo and Beyond by Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat copyright ©2013. Photographs copyright ©2013 by Todd Coleman. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House.