A modern Yunnanese rice noodle dish built around a live Norwegian king crab, which is steamed until the meat is halfway cooked, then finished in warm butter. The broth is made from the crab's shells, head fat, roasted leeks, ginger, and pork broth, thickened with an egg white and poured tableside from a kettle. The bowl is assembled with butter-poached vegetables, mushrooms, scallions, and edible flowers — a fusion of traditional Yunnanese mixian with elevated, butter-forward Midwestern cooking techniques.
Arlington VA
Yunnan By Potomac
Norwegian King Crab Mixian
Mixian / Norwegian king crab / Crab shells / Roasted leeks / Ginger / Pork broth / Egg white / Butter / shiitake mushrooms / daikon / Carrots
Signature Dish
From Prep to Plate
Seth heads to Yunnan, a Chinese restaurant in Arlington, VA to dive into the world of mixian, a soft and airy rice noodle that absorbs flavors like no other. Chef Shao takes him through the creation of a truly luxurious dish featuring Norwegian King Crab, which adds a rich, buttery depth to the broth and a tender sweetness to every bite.
At Yunnan by Potomac, mixian ... is the slippery base for five bowls, some dry and some swimming in house-made broths, all requiring a vigorous stir before you dig in. Until you learn the particular alchemy of Li’s kitchen ... you might take one look at the colorful bowls and think they will explode on contact with the tongue.
Tim Carman, The Washington Post
