EAT THIS IMMEDIATELY: Dry Pepper Crab at Han Dynasty

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EAT THIS IMMEDIATELY: Dry Pepper Crab at Han Dynasty

POSTED: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 8:01 PM

Filed Under: Eat This Immediately

Photo | Drew Lazor

Perhaps it's a bit barbarous of us to give this dish the ETI treatment as it's a recurring special that isn't available every day, but it's so good we'd feel guilty not talking about it. Last night we genuflected at the altar of the dry pepper-style crab at Han Dynasty (108 Chestnut St.), and we're still thinking about it. It's served whenever owner Han Chiang heads to Chinatown to pick up a big order of seafood, which is to say it could be available anytime. It's a hell of a task, this dish ($15.95): Chiang's chefs portion up hard-shell crabs, lightly dust them in flour to provide a salty crunch, deep-fry them and then stir-fry the suckers with peppers in hot pot stock, which the crab meat engulfs in an embrace, like two people in love who haven't seen each other in a year. This painstaking process turns out shells hard enough to provide the fastidious glee of digging out the tender meat inside, but soft enough to crack between your thumb and forefinger; this Marylander approves. Soft-shells prepared identically appear as a special from time to time, too, but as you might imagine they're snapped up crazy fast. Eat this immediately.

poncho

Posted 2010-06-15 15:11:16

I recently ate at Han Dynasty recently & really loved it!  I think my favorite dish was cucumbers in chili oil and sesame oil.  It's an appetizer but i could eat that as my meal everyday!

Shao

Posted 2010-06-15 15:40:28

Can't believe I haven't tried Han Dynasty yet. This looks great. Nice photo too. :)

Tweets that mention EAT THIS IMMEDIATELY: Dry Pepper Crab at Han Dynasty :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-06-15 19:38:49

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Drew Lazor and Sean Kaplan, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: Eat This Immediately: dry pepper crab at @handynastyphila http://bit.ly/cJMyhS [...]

Daniel

Posted 2010-06-16 12:19:08

That new camera and you are taking some ridiculously nice pictures.  Also, I need to go here.

Drew Lazor

Posted 2010-06-16 13:23:58

Thanks, Daniel! I'm trying my best. Still have so much to learn.

Foobooz » Around the Web: Eat This Now Edition

Posted 2010-07-08 08:27:05

[...] Photo by Drew Lazor, Meal Ticket [...]

Foobooz » Year in Review: July

Posted 2010-12-31 10:01:35

[...] Dry Pepper-Style Crabs at Han Dynasty [Han] Chiang's chefs portion up hard-shell crabs, lightly dust them in flour to provide a salty crunch, deep-fry them and then stir-fry the suckers with peppers in hot pot stock, which the crab meat engulfs in an embrace, like two people in love who haven't seen each other in a year. This painstaking process turns out shells hard enough to provide the fastidious glee of digging out the tender meat inside, but soft enough to crack between your thumb and forefinger; this Marylander approves. – Drew Lazor, Meal Ticket [...]

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Founded in October 2008, Meal Ticket is a City Paper blog about food, drink and assorted other things that make you go mmm. We do recipes, interviews, restaurant news, commentary and much more. We don't do restaurant reviews here — those are handled in print, mostly by our critic (and Meal Ticket contributor) Adam Erace. Got a tip, question, thought or concern? Just want to say hello? Please shoot a note to caroline@citypaper.net.

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