Chilli crab recipe

Mud crab stir-fried in its shell in a sweet, tangy tomato and chili sauce made fluffy with ribbons of beaten egg, mopped up with mantou buns.

1 hour and 50 minuteshard12 ingredients

Ingredients

• 2 live mud crabs
• 2 eggs
• 5 red chilies
• 6 shallots
• 6 clove garlic
• 20 g galangal
• 1 tbsp belacan (shrimp paste)
• 6 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1.5 tsp cornflour
• 5 tbsp peanut oil
• 8 mantou buns

How to make Chilli crab

1. Put 2 live mud crabs (about 800 g each) in the freezer for 1 hour to stun them, then scrub them, lift off the top shells, remove the gills, cut each body into 4 and crack the claws with the back of a cleaver.
2. Blend 6 shallots, 6 garlic cloves, 5 red chilies, a thumb-sized piece (20 g) of galangal and 1 tbsp toasted belacan into a fine rempah.
3. Heat 5 tbsp peanut oil in a wok until very hot and fry the rempah for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until fragrant.
4. Stir in 3 tbsp ketchup and 3 tbsp sugar, add the crab pieces and 250 ml water, cover and cook over high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until the shells turn bright red.
5. Mix 1½ tsp cornflour with 1½ tbsp water and stir it into the sauce to thicken it slightly.
6. Beat 2 eggs, pour them slowly into the sauce at the side of the wok and stir gently so they set in ribbons, then simmer for 10 seconds and take off the heat.
7. Deep-fry or steam 8 mantou buns and serve them with the crab to mop up the sauce.

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