Crab Fried Rice with Gravy

Preparation

Make the gravy: Heat a medium saucepan over high heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pot. Add ginger and stir-fry briefly until aromatic and just beginning to caramelize. 

Add crab roe and, stirring regularly, cook over medium-high heat until the majority of the orange fat has melted in and broken down. Add sugar and melt until beginning to caramelize. 

Deglaze with sherry, add tamari, and then add chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 15 or 20 minutes until the remaining crab fat has rendered. 

Add salt at the end, remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve. Do not press super hard on remaining bits in the sieve—we do not want the sauce to become gritty. Return the strained sauce to a clean saucepan and bring to a simmer. 

Stir in the cornstarch slurry and return sauce to a boil. Repeat slurring the sauce, returning to a boil every time, until the desired thickness is reached. 

Prepare the rice: Add the cold, day-old rice to a stainless bowl and using your finger, break it up into individual grains, trying not to break the grains into pieces. Have all of your ingredients at the ready. Timing is everything! 

Heat a wok over high heat. Add oil to hot wok. When little wisps of smoke begin to appear, add the onion to the oil. When the edges of the onion are just beginning to brown, add the peas and carrots and the eggs. Using a spatula, stir-fry the eggs until set. 

Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for an additional 15 or 20 seconds, breaking up the eggs a bit. Add the rice and mix all the ingredients together. Allow the fried rice to sit undisturbed for a few seconds between stir frying, to allow a nice toasty flavor to develop on the rice, taking care to not burn any of the other ingredients. 

Fry the rice for an additional few minutes until the grains have warmed through, softened, and developed a little smoky flavor. Season with a touch of kosher salt and sugar to balance your flavors. 

Turn off heat and gently stir the crab meat into the rice. You don’t want to overcook the crab meat or break it up too much, just warm it through. 

Portion rice into deep bowls, and then turn out onto a plate so the rice retains a domed shape. Equally split the gravy between plates and top with cilantro leaves and scallion greens.