Chili Crab

Food of:
Singapore & Malaysia

Food submitted by:
foodyoo/Johor/Malaysia

Chili crab is a famous seafood dish served in Malaysia and Singapore. It is made with hard-shell crabs, and cooked in thick gravy with a tomato chili base. It is a popular dish at seafood restaurants.

Sri Lankan hard shell crabs are often used to prepare this dish, and the chili paste is deliciously covered in a tantalizing array of ingredients: onions, garlic, black rice vinegar, fresh ground chili, tomato paste and more.

In some restaurants, chili crabs are often served with a few slices of French bread or mantou (馒头 Chinese steamed buns). Eater can simply dip the mantou into the thick gravy, soaking up and eating the tomato chili sauce for added enjoyment.

Chili Crab is widely recognized as a Singapore food icon, and Singapore organized chili crab festival almost every year. It is a great time to enjoy chili crab for tourists. So just always get alert with their promotion about the event.

Recipe

• 1 (500g) mud crab
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 8 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)
• 8 fresh red chili (roughly chopped)
• 1 egg
• 2 spring onions (scallions, cut into finger length)
• 1 tsp freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
• 1 small bunch coriander plant (cilantro)

Sauce Ingredients: (mix together)

• 1 cup of water
• 5 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp corn flour
• 1 tsp brown soy bean paste
• 1/4 tsp salt

Prepare the crab:

While the claws are still tied up, turn the crab upside down and open the flaps under the belly. Stab with the tip of the knife across the middle. This will kill the crab.

Then separate the shell from the body with the claws and legs intact. Clean out all the guts and gills, rinse with water and cut it into half.

Break the shells of the claws but keep intact. This is to make the eating process easier and also let the sauce flavor go deep into the crab meat.

Cooking method:

Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. Add garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the chili, stir-fry till fragrant. Add in crab and fry well till shells start turning red, add sauce ingredients stir well, cover with lid and simmer till shells are red. Break eggs into the wok and streak with a fork, simmer till cooked. Squeeze lime juice over and stir in scallions (Spring onions).

Served with steam rice, French bread or mantou (馒头Chinese steamed bun)