Chilli Crabs

Chilli Crabs...my mom's signature dish.  My siblings and I grew up eating crabs cooked in this manner.  And I copied cat my mom's signature dish.  I managed to get fresh mud crabs from the outside fish stall near my housing estate.  Normally , I have to get them from the UTC wet market and it is really pricey . I enjoyed cooking this dish but I did not enjoy killing them...oops I will not go into further details. I bought two meat mud crabs and two with roes.

This dish is easy to whip out and it tasted wonderfully delicious.  Hubby and I cleaned up every single drop of the flavorful gravy with bread. With each mouthful of the gravy, the flavors just burst in the mouth. So good that I can't stop licking up the gravy :)  everything is forgotten, the artery clogging roe from the crabs in the gravy making it so sweet , I felt transported to another part of heaven on earth!   So yummy delicious that I am happy to share the simple recipe with you guys :)  Try it to believe me !

fresh mud crabs...the cleaning up of the crabs

took up more time than the cooking itself :)

 

the chilli sauce consists of these ingredients

perserved sour plums, fermented bean paste, garlic, 

chilli paste, chopped fresh chilli, sugar

saute the prepared chilli mixture with rice bran oil till fragrant

and the oil surface to the top

add in the cut crabs and continue to cook till it turned red 

add in 3/4 cup of water and 3 tbsp of thickening

 and continue simmer till gravy thickened

dish up and served hot, garnish top with sliced spring onions

the best part of the crabs goes to hubby...he doesnt know how to eat the body

even that I have to crack the pincers for him ..he is spoilt by me :p

Chilli Crabs - My Mom's Signature Dish

Ingredients

4  medium sized crabs - removed shell, cleaned and cut into half

3/4 cup water - for simmering

2 tbsp of rice bran oil to saute the chilli sauce mixture

2 tbsp of thickening - ( 2 tsp corn flour and  1 tbsp of water )

chilli sauce mixture for 4 medium sized crabs

2 tbsp of chilli paste ( dried chillies , soaked and pounded )

5 cloves of garlic- finely chopped

3 perserved sour plum + 2 tbsp of the sour plum water

3 tbsp of fermented bean paste ( tau cheong )

1 tsp of sugar

garnishing

sliced spring onions

Method:

Heat up 2 tbsp of rice bran oil in a wok, once the oil is hot, add in the chilli sauce mixture and saute till it is fragrant and the oil has surfaced on top.  Add in the cut crabs and stir fry till it turned red. Add in the water and thickening.  Cover wok with lid and simmer till gravy thickens and the crabs are cooked through.  Dish up and served hot . Garnish top with sliced spring onions.

Enjoy!