Eating TAI CHAP HAI (hairy crab)

In Hong Kong, during their Autumn season, there are some real delicacy that you should try if you visit this little quaint bustling island. One of which is tai chap hai or in English, hairy crab. Though the crab is fairly small, you’ll be surprised that it normally take a person 45 – 60 minutes to finish one. There’s actually an art to eating it. In all instances, they will provide you a little chopstick like device to dig and poke the meat out of the crab. That’s definitely the challenge for newbies in eating hairy crabs. You have to eat all the legs too because there are good meat in there. On why hairy crab is such sought after is because of its CREAMY roe. When I scooped spoonful of roe into my mouth, you can sense yourself eating creamy ice-cream. Of course, my heart was majorly clotting as well ! It’s that sinful but yet irresistible. The crab normally comes from Yangcheng Lake - a famous crab-breeding area situated to the northeast of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. Currently, lots of restaurants are importing it from China and you’ll be delighted to know it’s available in Singapore and Malaysia.