The story goes that typhoon shelter dishes were first created on fishing boats housed in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter. Most commonly made with freshly caught crab, these punchy stir-fries were served by boat dwellers entertaining customers who’d come to eat and drink on the fishing boats anchored in the cove. At their peak in the 1970s, there were reportedly more than 300 such tiny floating eateries, serving an iconic genre of fresh seafood cooked at high heat.
The lively scene faded in the 1980s as the government ceased issuing licenses for boat restaurants and implemented schemes relocating most of the boat population to landside public housing. But the boat dwellers took their iconic typhoon shelter dishes with them, setting up restaurants and cooked food stalls around Wan Chai and beneath the Canal Road Flyover, thereby earning the iconic stir-fry style another name: Under the Bridge Spicy Crab.
Ingredients
2 servings
½
¼
¼
¼
1
½
2
1
1
2
2
1
4
2
Preparation
-
Step 1
Toast ½ cup panko in a dry wok or medium skillet over medium heat, tossing often, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and add ¼ cup store-bought fried garlic, ¼ tsp. finely ground white pepper, ¼ tsp. MSG or shiitake mushroom powder, ½ tsp. sugar, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt; mix to combine. Set panko mixture aside. Wipe out and reserve wok.
Step 2
Using a cleaver or chef’s knife, trim 2 ears of corn, husked, then cut in half crosswise. Working one at a time, stand each piece on a cut end and slice vertically through core into quarters, resting the knife’s cutting edge on corn and knocking the back of knife with your hand to force it through core. (You should have 8 wedges per ear.)
Step 3
Cook corn in a medium pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until kernels are tender, about 5 minutes; drain, shaking off excess water.
Step 4
Meanwhile, stir 1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. light or regular soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. well-stirred chili crisp, and remaining ½ tsp. sugar in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved.
Step 5
Heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in reserved wok over high until beginning to smoke. Cook 2 scallions, cut into 2″ pieces, one 2″ piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped, 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, and 2 red Thai chiles, thinly sliced, stirring constantly, until garlic is golden brown, about 1 minute. Immediately add corn and soy sauce mixture. Cook, tossing constantly, until corn is lightly browned, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and add reserved panko mixture; toss to combine.
Step 6
Transfer corn ribs to a medium bowl.
Do Ahead: Panko mixture can be made 2 weeks ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.