I've always struggled with plating Chinese dishes so that they look as refined as some of the American or European dishes I make. Perhaps it's because I typically serve Chinese family-style, as opposed to plated.
Whatever it is, I wasn't planning to post this photo because the presentation doesn't even begin to tell you how amazing this dish was.
So let me say this:
General Gau's Soft Shell Crab
I cut the crabs in half and then prepared them exactly as I do General Gau's Chicken.
The soft shell crab season will last for a few more weeks, so I will be sure to create opportunities to refine this presentation.
Thing about Asian food – it is meant to be served in a sharing style. It is hard to put it into a European plating paradigm for that. I hear your pain!
Who cares about plating when you have such an amazing recipe?!
Anything with rice or that comes all together in a pile is hard to plate in a way that doesn’t look slumpy. The sad thing is that a photo, however good, can’t make up for the pleasure of seeing a large platter of something delicious in person. And what is it about chinese generals and dishes named after them? Did they have time to cook? That said, Napoleon was a famed gourmet and he spent a lot of his time a-conquering. Anyway, love soft shell crabs, love this dish.