Da yabbies - Sichuanese ma la (‘hot and numbing’) butter fire; first you make a seasoning spice mix with chilli flakes, dried chillies, white peppercorns, Sichuan peppercorns, bay leaves, black cardamom, cumin, ground coriander, fennel seeds, five spice powder, and curry powder.
Then you stir together doubanjan chilli broad bean paste, Shaohsing rice wine, 17 cloves of garlic, green onions, ginger, brown sugar, a whole pack of butter, chicken stock and two more cups of dried chillis.
Then you braise that all together into fiery, peppery, buttery goodness and simmer the yabbies in it (after par freezing them in an ice bath slurry to put them to sleep and then spiking them through the head to kill them quickly), before pouring the lot over blanched e-fu noodles and digging in.
