Based on the famous Typhoon Shelter Crab of Hong Kong, here’s a more beginner friendly recipe that gives you a taste of history.

Time: 2/5
Like most stir fries, it comes together in a flash.

Effort: 4/5
Multi-step, multi-pan, multi-bowl, and obviates multitasking. Save it for a weekend.

Flavours Ahoy

Explaining Typhoon Shelter Cuisine

Typhoon Shelter Stir Fries are a class of recipes that were developed by Southern Chinese families who fished for a living. They were called the Boat People, and whenever the seas were stormy they would dock their boats in the typhoon shelters of Hong Kong, such as the Causeway Bay Shelter built in the late 19th century.

Remember, this was back before the days of preservatives and shelf-stable seasonings. The Boat People had to rely on ingredients and seasonings that would last in the heat and humidity of the high seas. So they developed recipes that were flavoured by aromatics like garlic and chilis. The boats would cook whatever seafood they couldn’t sell in the markets, and the smells would drift across the harbour and onto the shores.

Typhoon Shelter Stir Fries are somewhat unique among Cantonese cuisine for being spicy and heavily seasoned (see this recipe for something more subtle and delicate and typically Canto), so you can imagine the effect these wonderful new smells had on the Shore People (for a lack of a better term). The smell drew crowds, and by the 1960s and 70s the boats ran booming businesses bringing people across the waters to enjoy all manner of seafood in the Boat People way.

Times changed, however. Fishing became less and less common as a way of life, and as the Hong Kong government rehoused Boat People families on the shore the fishermen brought their food with them. The 70s and 80s saw Boat People opening food stalls and restaurants on land serving Typhoon Shelter cuisine, some of which remain in operation till this day.

Like any long-lived and decentralised food tradition, variation is the rule. Some recipes batter the ingredients before frying, some use more exotic aromatics such as lemongrass or fermented black beans (AKA douchi), some include breadcrumbs or flour and some do not. Even the protein varies considerably – while Typhoon Shelter Crab is the most famous, you see the same flavours being paired with prawns, squid, or even chicken.

Behind all those permutations, however, is garlic. Lots and lots of garlic, fried until light blonde, is the heart and soul of a good Typhoon Shelter stir fry. Watch it closely and don’t let it burn, and you should be well on your way to recreating a classic late night snack.

For best results, enjoy it like the old times – with a cold beer or two, after a long day of hard work, and with the sweaty and smelly and vulgar friends that you did said work with.

Experiences from the home kitchen

Cuttlefish is not as commonly cooked Typhoon Shelter style, but it’s what I have and it’s similar enough to squid, so I thought I’d give it a shot. Plus it’s what the lady boss craves, and who am I to say no?

As usual, compromises have to be made to adapt this stir fry to the home kitchen. Without the benefit of a commercial jet-engine stovetop, I’m pre-cooking the cuttlefish before the actual stir frying to make things easier to control. (Besides par-cooking, there are also specific knife work considerations to improve domestic stir fries that don’t apply too much here).

One deliberate choice is the use of breadcrumbs, which isn’t a universal feature in Typhoon Shelter recipes. But it’s presence enhances the dish, because the breadcrumbs capture all the flavour in the oil from deep frying the garlic and stir frying the aromatics. The extra crunchy texture is also very nice.

Shocking the cuttlefish in an ice bath after a quick blanche helps avoid carry-over cooking, and gives the cuttlefish more of a nice fresh, snappy texture. I also make sure that the stir fry is the thing that’s cooked last and served first, to make sure it’s piping hot.

Like most stir fries, this recipe is not very meal prep friendly. It’s very good when it’s hot, but not so much when it’s cooled down and definitely not after it’s been microwaved – squid, cuttlefish and shrimp all suffer from being over-cooked. If you are looking for a more meal prep friendly stir fry, go check out my tomato and egg stir fry.

My only regret is not serving this with rice. Flavours as bold and as rich as a storm shelter stir fry benefit from having a more plain background to play off of. But it’s a pain in the ass to cook rice for just two and clean up the rice cooker afterwards, so we just had some rice noodles with our dinner. Which counts as rice in a way, I guess.

(Looking for more deep dives in Chinese culinary history? Go read my post on how displaced peoples escaping war and persecution figured out how to bake chickens without an oven.)

Dramatis Personae

Served 2. Please don’t try to meal prep this, it’s just not going to turn out well.

Cuttlefish – 300g

These baby cuttlefish are so cute, they’re so tiny and bite sized. No need to fuss with cutting or gutting, unlike cooking whole squid. Of course, if you have calamari rings you could just use those too.

Marinade / batter

3 teaspoons of corn starch, a teaspoon of Shaoxing wine, a teaspoon of white pepper, and salt to taste. The Shaoxing wine helps get rid of the fishy taste that can sometimes come with seafood.

Vegetable oil – 4 tablespoons

A much more generous amount than I would usually use, especially for two portions. But the oil is important for extracting flavour and conducting heat, and I would argue that sufficient oil is an essential ingredient to this style of stir fry.

Garlic – half a head

I hear you hypothetically ask, half an entire head for 2 portions? Yes, and I regretted not using more. It’s the dominant flavour, don’t skimp on the garlic. I could have used 10 times as much garlic and the dish would have been better for it.

You can take a shortcut by using store bought fried garlic, but that would mean missing out on the chance to flavour the oil if you fry your own garlic.

Other Aromatics

One shallot (or half of a huge one, like I used) cut into chunks, one fresh chili finely minced (or a dried chili like I used, because I don’t use chili that often and my last batch of fresh chilis dried up).

Breadcrumbs – 1 tablespoon

Panko works better than regular, but regular is what I have so it’s what I used. The breadcrumbs will capture the flavourful oil, and add a nice texture to the dish.

Garnish

Finely minced scallion greens add some visual contrast to what would otherwise be a mostly beige-coloured dish. You can also throw the whites into the stir fry with the other aromatics as well. I just had some greens, because I grow my own scallions and didn’t have enough whole plants to harvest.

Vegetables 

Always eat your veggies! I had some enoki mushrooms that needed to be dealt with, an addition that saved the vegetable side dish from being the most lazy two-ingredient stir fry known to man – Indian lettuce and oyster sauce, stir together until wilted.

Executive summary

1. Defrost and clean the cuttlefish. Bring a pot of water to boil.
2. Blanche cuttlefish for about 30 seconds, then shock them in ice water.
3. Drain cuttlefish well, and mix with marinade/batter. Let it sit on the counter.
4. Prepare garlic, garnish and other aromatics.
5. Heat oil in pan on medium-low heat. Gently fry minced garlic until lightly golden.
6. Remove and reserve fried garlic, but leave the oil in the pan. Turn the heat up to high.
7. Add cuttlefish to pan and stir briefly, about 30 seconds or so.
8. Add garlic and other aromatics to pan, stir fry for another 30 seconds or so.
9. Turn off the heat. Add breadcrumbs to pan, and toast them in the residual heat.
10. Plate up, garnish, and serve immediately.

Play by Play

Last things first. I brought a big pan of water to boil while I prepared the aromatics. Brief blanche until the cuttlefish tentacles curl up, then straight into the ice bath.

Let’s give the cuttlefish some time to marinade while I clean and cut the vegetables.

Alright, we’re ready to go! The Mis is en place, as the French probably don’t say.

Vegetables go first, because they’re less time- and temperature sensitive. Oyster sauce, enoki and Indian lettuce in pan. Stir until wilted, reserve, and wipe the pan clean.

Experienced cooks fry the garlic and stir fry everything else all in one go, but I find it much less nerve wracking to do each step separately. Generous amount of oil, medium-low heat, and get the garlic out before it turns dark brown – remember, it will continue to darken from residual heat even after you switch off the stove.

Don’t blink now, things are getting serious. Max heat. Cuttlefish, 30 seconds, stirring vigorously. Garlic and aromatics, 30 seconds, stirring vigorously. Breadcrumbs same deal, 30 seconds stirring vigorously.

Garnish and serve!

Check out this little guy – all coated in breadcrumbs, fried garlic and flavourful oil.

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