Spider Shrimp

Name: Spider Shrimp (Ji Jiu Har Yun)
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: ¼ cup chicken broth; ½ teaspoon Shao-Hsing wine or sherry; ¾ cup fresh or frozen green peas; ½ teaspoon white vinegar; 1 teaspoon peanut oil; ¼ cup bamboo shoots, cut into julienne; ½ teaspoon sugar; 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce; 1¼ teaspoons cornstarch; 1¼ teaspoons sugar; ¼ cup julienne strips of Virginia ham; ¼ egg white, beaten; ¼ teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons minced garlic; 2 teaspoons brown bean paste; 2 teaspoons minced ginger; 1½ teaspoons cornstarch; 4 ounces pork, cut into julienne; ½ teaspoon sesame oil; 3 cups peanut oil; 2 bunches of watercress; 1 tablespoon Shao-Hsing wine or sherry; 12 ounces medium shrimp: shell, devein, wash; Pinch of white pepper; 1 teaspoon white vinegar

Ji Jiu Har Yun

Preparation info

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Chinese Banquet Cookbook

By Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

Published 1985

About

To those who fancy stories with their food, some Chinese will suggest that these delicate shrimp lying on a bed of watercress resemble tiny spiders in their webs, thus the name. I’m not sure that I subscribe to that tale, but it is imaginative so I pass it along.

Ingredients

12 ounces medium shrimp: shell, devein, wash
2 bunches of watercress
4

Asia
China
Main course

Method

After washing shrimp, dry carefully, then allow to dry more thoroughly by leaving them in a single layer on wax paper for 2 to 3 hours. Turn over once during that time.
Wash watercress and break bunches into halves. Let drain, then blanch them in 8 cups water (see dire