SICHUAN MALA BUTTER CRAYFISH

Ingredients

• 53 oz (1500 grams) live crayfish
SPICE BLEND:
• 3 tbsp (20 grams) Korean chili flakes
• 2 1/2 tbsp (27 grams) white peppercorns
• 2 1/2 tbsp (13 grams) red sichuan peppercorns
• 2~3 (3 grams) star anise
• 4~5 (2 grams) dried bay leaves
• 1 whole black cardamon
• 1 1/2 tsp (5 grams) ground cumin
• 1 tsp (3 grams) ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp (1 grams) fennel seeds, or ground fennel
• 1/4 tsp (1 gram) five spice powder
• 1/4 tsp (1 gram) curry powder
PASTE BLEND:
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp (80 grams) sichuan douban paste/chili broad bean paste
• 1/4 cup (60 grams) Chinese rice wine, or Japanese sake
• 7 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2~3 (68 grams) large scallions, cut in chunks
• 1 1/2 tbsp (27 grams) diced ginger
• 4 tsp light brown sugar
SEASONING:
• 2 sticks (226 grams) unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp (27 grams) canola oil
• 1~2 cups (25~50 grams) whole dried chilis, depending on your heat tolerance
• 10 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
• 1/2 cup (115 grams) Chinese cooking rice wine, or Japanese sake
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 1/2 cups (690 grams) chicken stock
• 1 tsp granulated chicken bouillon

Instructions

1. MAKE THE SICHUAN MALA BUTTER BASE: Preferably, make the base the day before or at least several hours ahead, for the flavours to weld. In a blender or spice-grinder, blend everything under "SPICE BLEND" until finely powderized. Set aside. In the same blender, blend everything under "PASTE BLEND" until finely pureed. Set aside.
2. In a deep, large pot (enough to hold all the crayfish), melt unsalted butter and canola oil over medium heat. Add the pureed "PASTE BLEND" and whole dried chilis, then turn the heat down to medium-low, stirring frequently to prevent burning and cook for 10 min until all the moisture has evaporated and very fragrant. Now add the "SPICE BLEND", smashed garlic and rice wine, and cook for another 3 mins until the wine has mostly evaporated. Now add the soy sauce and cook for another min, before adding the chicken stock and chicken bouillon. Simmer the mixture for 2 min, then turn off the heat. The mixture would taste salty, as it should be. Let the base sit overnight (room-temperature worked fine with me, but you can leave it in the fridge just in case), or at least for 6 hours before using.
3. TO PREP THE CRAYFISHES: Crayfishes can be quite dirty, depending on where you source them. I like to hold each crayfish on its back with my thumb and index finger (so its claws cannot reach me), and use a toothbrush to gently brush/clean their chests, underbelly and around the claws to eliminate any impurities. Then, to cook them, you have 3 options. 1) Boil them alive. 2) Freeze them for 40 min to put them into a "coma" before boiling them, which never works and is probably just additional sufferings. 3) Takes a lot more work but in my opinion, the most humane way to go about it, which is to hold each crayfish inverted with a tongs, then insert a shape knife into the chest cavity then press down all the way to the tip of its head (*without splitting its head entirely*). This will kill it instantly, and any movements are just nerve reflexes. Your choice.
4. TO COOK AND SERVE: Bring the base back to a simmer on medium-high heat, then add the crayfishes. Stir briefly, then put the lid on and cook for 5 min, stirring once again in between. All the crayfishes should have turned red at this point. Then turn the heat off, and let sit with the lid on for 15 ~20 min. This finishes the cooking, as well as letting the crayfishes absorb the flavours from the base. Transfer to a shallow serving dish and serve immediately with cold beers or any fire-extinguishing drinks that you prefer (you'll need it). I like to soak up the sauces with thin pasta (like fedelini), but you can use any rice or breads you have on hand.

Notes