Chapter 71: Steamed Egg with Crab Meat and Crab Roe

Li Xiao quickly scraped the halved crab legs completely clean with a spoon.

He carefully shredded the scraped-out leg meat and mixed it into the egg mixture.

"When you’re handling this crab leg meat, make sure to break it up well. This helps it cook through more easily and gives it a more even texture when you eat it."

"Mix the shredded crab meat into the egg mixture and stir it with chopsticks to combine them thoroughly."

"Then, just place the crab roe we scraped out earlier on top of the egg mixture."

Li Xiao carefully poured the egg mixture into five small celadon bowls. Then, he used a spoon to scoop up some crab roe and place it in the center of the egg in each bowl.

"The final step for the steamed egg is to steam it over hot water. The principle is the same as when we steamed the Pine Needle Crab just now."

"If you start with cold water, the steaming time will be too long, and the egg will get tough. It will also bring out the unpleasant raw egg smell."

"Starting with hot water allows that eggy smell to evaporate quickly instead of getting trapped in the pot."

"Finally, if you want to prevent condensation from dripping onto the surface of the steamed egg, you can cover the container with a layer of plastic wrap."

"But if you do use plastic wrap, remember to poke a few small holes in it with a toothpick to let the steam escape."

As he spoke, Li Xiao had already covered the five small bowls with plastic wrap, making sure to poke the ventilation holes.

He glanced at the time. Because he was cooking while also keeping an eye on the stream’s comments, it had taken him much longer than usual.

There were only a few dozen seconds left of the eight-minute steaming time, so Li Xiao didn’t rush to open the lid.

He used this short break to prepare all the dipping sauces for the Pine Needle Crab.

The seconds flew by, and seeing that the time was up, Li Xiao lifted the pot lid.

Instantly, steam from the steamer billowed out, filling more than half the kitchen.

The billowing steam was quickly sucked away by the range hood. As the mist cleared, the Pine Needle Crab legs, which had turned from a dark red to a vibrant scarlet, appeared before everyone.

Li Xiao used a bowl gripper to take out the steaming rack, then placed the five plastic-wrapped celadon bowls inside.

After replacing the lid, he brought the stainless steel steaming rack in front of the camera.

"Alright, the first dish, Steamed Pine Needle Crab, is ready."

"Pine Needle Crabs are a bit different from other crabs. Their shells are relatively soft, especially the legs."

"To open most crabs, you usually need tools like crab crackers or a mallet."

"But you don’t need any extra tools to eat Pine Needle Crab."

Li Xiao washed his hands, then picked up one of the crab legs.

He held the vibrant red crab leg up for the camera.

"As you can see, a Pine Needle Crab leg has four sections."

"However, the meatiest parts are the second and fourth sections."

"The tip of the leg has no meat, so you can just remove it."

As he spoke, Li Xiao demonstrated. He held the crab leg in his left hand, and with the thumb and index finger of his right hand, he gripped the tip of the leg and gave it a gentle twist at the joint. The last little tip broke right off.

Li Xiao pointed to the remaining three sections of the leg.

"Next, we’ll break off the second and fourth sections in the same way."

"But before you twist them off, you need to gently press on the part of the shell just before each of those joints."

"Because the Pine Needle Crab’s leg shell is so soft, you can easily crush these spots with just a little bit of pressure."

While speaking, Li Xiao crushed the shell on the two spots he had pointed to.

Then, he gave it a gentle twist. With a CRACK...

...the broken section of the crab leg easily pulled apart as he rotated it.

As the two pieces of shell separated, a perfect, red-and-white piece of crab leg meat appeared before the camera.

Li Xiao gently wiggled the piece of crab meat.

"See how easy that was? A whole, complete piece of leg meat, pulled out just like that."

He turned and saw his three roommates and Zhao Shanshan standing nearby, not making a move.

He quickly urged them on.

"What are you all staring for? Are you waiting for me to help you?"

Hearing Li Xiao’s call, the others didn’t hesitate.

All four of them were smart enough to get into Zhongshan University.

And they had just watched Li Xiao’s live demonstration. Even if they’d never eaten Pine Needle Crab before, they should know how to handle it now.

So, after a bit of fumbling, the four of them quickly and easily shelled the crab legs.

Li Xiao took a whole piece of crab leg meat and went over to the dipping sauces.

He had prepared two types: steamed fish soy sauce, and steamed fish soy sauce with wasabi.

It wasn’t that he didn’t know how to make other sauces, but that crab meat this fresh simply didn’t need much seasoning.

However, he also knew that tastes varied from person to person and region to region.

So he offered a tip to the camera.

"Don’t see that I only have two saucers of soy sauce for dipping and think that Pine Needle Crab has to be eaten with soy sauce or wasabi."

"This is purely personal preference. If you like, you can also dip it in shacha sauce, chili sauce, soy sauce with chili, cumin powder, or even vinegar. It’s all perfectly fine."

"Of course, in my personal opinion, wasabi soy sauce is the best match for steamed seafood."

With that, he popped the crab leg, dipped in wasabi soy sauce, into his mouth.

The next moment, the system’s notification sound echoed in Li Xiao’s mind.

[Congratulations, you have unlocked the 12th entry in the Food Atlas!]

[The entry you unlocked is: Steamed Pine Needle Crab]

[Food Item Rating: 80 Points [Good]]

[As the rating for this food item is Good, you will receive a 3x reward.]

[Congratulations, you have received a cash reward: 400,000]

[Congratulations, you have received: Tips on Selecting Pine Needle Crabs]

[Congratulations, you have received: Fermented Rice Wine Pine Needle Crab Recipe]

Hearing the notifications in his mind, Li Xiao was delighted.

’Just as I thought.’

’It doesn’t matter if it’s a dish I try at a restaurant or one I make myself—they can all unlock entries in the system’s atlas.’

’This means if I’m ever really short on cash, I can just whip up a few dishes and make some money.’

Suppressing his excitement, Li Xiao quickly refocused his attention on the crab leg in his mouth.

The Pine Needle Crab leg had been steamed for just the right amount of time.

The simple wasabi soy sauce brought out the crab’s fresh sweetness perfectly.

There wasn’t too much wasabi in the sauce. It stimulated the taste buds and heightened their sensitivity without overpowering the delicate sweetness of the crab meat.

The only downside was the texture of the leg meat. Although these Pine Needle Crabs were semi-wild, they were ultimately a farmed variety. The meat was clearly not as firm and springy as that of a truly wild Pine Needle Crab.

That was probably why the system had only given it a score of 80.