Singapore Chilli Crab

• 2 medium sized crabs
• Handful coriander
• 300-400ml chicken stock or water
• 1 beaten egg

The Base Flavour

• 1 thumb sized piece of ginger
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 onion, sliced
• 3 spring onions
• 2 large red chillies

The Sauce

• 1 tsp shrimp paste
• 1 tsp tomato puree
• 4 capfuls rice wine
• 1.5 tbsp palm sugar
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 pinch sea salt

Please note – crab is best eaten when cooked from having been prepared fresh. The preparation covers all necessary steps to keep the crab as fresh as possible and numerous videos online can be found to help guide you through for the first time. If you are uncomfortable preparing the crab yourself, you may buy a ready boiled crab to avoid the first few steps of preparation or ask your fishmonger to cook/clean the crab for you.

1. Chop the crab into easily handleable portions: cut crab claws in half and crack the shell for easy eating, portion the legs into quarters and clean out any ‘dead man’s fingers’ as they are bitter and inedible, keep the head intact to simmer the sauce into the brown meat and then set aside ready to cook into the homemade sweet chilli and tomato sauce.

The Sauce

2. Peel and finely chop the ginger and garlic and then finely chop the onion, spring onions, chillies. If you find it easier, all of “The Base Flavour” may be placed in a blender and blitzed to make a quick paste.

3. Now mix all “The Sauce” ingredients together and place in a small prep bowl and set aside ready for cooking. Beat the egg well and set aside for a last-minute stir into the sauce.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok to medium heat. Add “The Base Flavour” paste to the oil and gently stir fry for 4-5 minutes until it starts to change colour and brown, but not burn.

5. Next pour “The Sauce” into the wok and stir. Bring to boil and cover with a lid. Allow to cook for 3-5 minutes until sauce starts to reduce.

6. Lastly, pour the chicken stock into the wok and bring to a vigorous boil. Once vigorously boiling, add the prepared crab, giving it a good stir and basting the sauce around the crab before covering with a lid. Allow to cook for 5 minutes to warm the crab through.

Serve

7. Take the crab off the heat and serve out the pieces of crab onto the plate or serving dish, keeping the sauce in the wok.

8. Just before serving up the sauce, gradually pour the beaten egg into the hot, but not boiling sauce, gently stirring and pushing into the egg once or twice before pouring all over the crab. Garnish with picked coriander. Serve.