About a year ago on our way home from my cousin’s wedding in India we stopped over in Singapore. I tried Singapore chilli crab for the first time and have craved it ever since. Wanting to learn how to make it myself I sent out a tweat to see who wanted to go to the chilli crab cooking class with me at the Sydney Seafood school. Phuoc from Phuoc’n Delicious was quick to respond and we had a ball. This all happened late last year before I had my new Canon but I borrowed my dad’s Canon 500D so I still got some pretty cool pics.

We learnt how to clean the crabs first which was pretty gross but manageable. The demo kitchen was newly renovated and it had TV screens above the bench so you could see up close what the chef was doing. It is very well organised and run.

I’ve only made this once at home since the cooking lesson and it took a few weeks to get my act together too because there was a few strange ingredients I had to buy. This was the perfect excuse to head down to Chinatown for some Yum Cha and shopping to get the Shao Xing (Chinese cooking wine) and belacan, a shrimp paste.  So glad I did make this at home though but I doubt I’m going to add it to my regular dinner rotation.

The recipe makes ALOT. Too much for 2 people but we finished it off anyway and were so full. I’m sure you will love it too.

Chilli Crab (Serves 6)

6 green blue swimmer crabs

3 tablespoons peanut oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

3 small red chillies, chopped

2 teaspoons grated ginger

1 teaspoon belacan, crumbled

1 teaspoon cornflour

1 cup fish stock

160ml tomato ketchup

160ml sweet chilli sauce

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon shao xing (Chinese cooking wine)*

6 green onions, sliced diagnoally

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup coriander leaves, to garnish

*You can substitute dry sherry for the shao xing

Method

Clean crabs and cut into segments. Crack claws.

Heat a large wok over high heat

Add oil, then garlic, chilli, ginger and belacan and stir fry for 30 seconds

Add crabs and stir for 5 minutes, until all shells turn orange.

Dissolve cornflour in  little fish stock, then combine with tomato ketchup, chilli sauce, fish sauce, shao xing and remaining fish stock.

Add to wok along with green onions and stir until boiling.

Reduce heat to medium high and cook for a further 8-10 minutes, stirring every minute or so to ensure all of the crab spends time submerged in the sauce.

increase heat and move crab towards one side of the wok, drizzle egg into the sauce in a slow, steady stream, stirring gently to create threads of egg through the sauce. Stir well and remove from heat.

Sprinkle with coriander leaves and serve with steamed rice

Related posts:

1. Seared Salmon with Flying Fish chilli salt and black pepper caramel
2. Chilli prawn dumplings
3. Crab and avocado salad with Japanese dressing

I absolutely love love love Salmon. Knowing that it is packed full of Omega 3’s somehow makes it taste better knowing that it is good for me too. For a quick weeknight meal after a PUMP class when I want to have some protein to rebuild my tired muscles I cook this. I use a chilli coriander sauce from Costi’s to make it really quick. If it isn’t a school night and I have more time I sometimes make my own sauce but this marinade/ sauce is awesome. It tastes great and saves a lot of time.

Chilli Coriander Salmon (Serves 2) 

2 salmon fillets

¼ cup Chilli coriander sauce from Costi’s (pictured above)

 Preheat oven to 180°C. Lay salmon fillets on a big piece of foil, shiny side up, that is on top of a baking tray.

 Spoon sauce over the top of each fillet.

Seal foil package tightly. Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on how you like your salmon. Serve with whatever vege’s take your fancy.  This time I made a cheesy broccoli and cauliflower bake, which BRW loved. Usually I bake some red capsicum, zucchini and squash at the same time so it’s nice and colourful and very healthy.

I like my salmon well done so I bake mine for 20 minutes. I use the white juices as an indicator for when it’s ready.

Related posts:

1. Coriander and Lime Wild Salmon with a Mango and Black Bean Salsa
2. Salmon en croute (December Daring Cooks challenge)
3. Thai style steamed fish

I decided to steam some in my steamer baskets, which are only big enough for 4 in each basket, so I had to steam the others in a fry pan. 

There was a recipe in Better homes and gardens which says to fry dumplings in oil for 1 minute to brown bottoms and then add water, cover and steam. This worked last time I made them but this time I dont think there was enough oil so they stuck to the frypan.

The dumplings in the steam basket came out perfectly. I also made a soy & lime dipping sauce with some fresh chilli from my plant that Emilio gave me. It complemented the chilli prawn dumplings perfectly.

  Looking forward to yum cha this Sunday at Kam Fook. 

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