Chilli Crab. One of Singapore’s national dishes. A dish with an air of mystique, of secret recipes that are never written down. Something that we queue for, and argue over.
Here’s my blind attempt at chilli crab – a recipe I tried on the spur of the moment.
Interestingly, my fish monger at the Yew Tee market occasionally sells fresh crab claws – the claws only – for a good price. I expected this to be some imported stuff that came in frozen. Instead, he told me they are harvested locally, and that his boss caught them himself. Intrigued, I just had to buy a kilo. I eventually found these are the claws of the thunder crab (Myomenippe hardwickii), a local species. These are hardy mangrove crabs with large claws and small bodies, thus the way they are sold.
Once home, I had no idea what to do with my precious cargo. I boiled them to lock in their freshness. I tried one, and it was incredibly sweet. I chilled them quickly and hid them away.
Two days later, on a whim, I decided I wanted chilli crab. I didn’t have a recipe, but roughly remembered it being done on TV. A fresh spice paste, some tomato and chilli sauce. It can’t be that hard, really.
Ingredients and Mise
For the spice paste : several large red chillies, several cloves garlic, a few shallots, corainder root, a knob ginger. Slice finely and pound or blend into a paste.
Slice one medium onion into half rings. Prep some chilli and tomato paste, corn flour and an egg beaten. And of course, crab.
Cooking
Heat some oil in pan till hot, and stirfry the paste till frangant. Take your time, frying it till fragrant and well cooked.
Toss in the sliced onions, then add some water. Then in goes about a tablespoon each of tomato and chill sauce. Taste. Adjust.
Since my crab was already cooked, all I needed to do was add it to the pan, chuck it about and let it heat through. Raw crab will need longer to cook fully. To thicken the sauce, I found it neater to first remove the crab, and to stir the beaten egg into the sauce. Add a little cornstarch (dissolved in cold water), and thicken as needed. Pour over crab. Roll up your sleeves. Be happy. Admire the dish.
Verdict
Of course, it wasn’t like the famous ones. No, I can’t expect to outdo the masters in one try, but it was quite delicious if I may say. A lot of thought, trial and error needs to be put into the exact ratio of the spices, and in particular, the brand and thus sweetness/heat balance of the chilli and tomato sauce. And oh. Skip the slice onions.
But when you are too beaten queue for it, try it. It’s not that hard.