Sweet And Sour Chili crabs
Spicy sambal paste paired with flavorful chili crabs, a delicious and aromatic dish.
Spicy sambal paste paired with flavorful chili crabs, a delicious and aromatic dish.
Ingredients
Sambal Paste
- 3dried chili
- 2fresh red chillies
- 3shallots
- 6cloves garlic
- 5inch ginger
- 1tbspdried shrimps
- 10gbelacan/ shrimp paste
- 1/2cupwater
Chilli Crabs
- 10medium size mud crabs
- 1/2cuptomato sauce
- 1/2cupchili sauce
- 1/2cupTHAI sweet chilli sauce
- 2tbspsoya bean paste (taucu)
- 1cupwater
- Some salt and sugar to taste
- Some fresh cilantros for garnishing
How to make Sweet And Sour Chili crabs
Sambal Paste
Soak the dried chili in hot water until soft. Remove the seeds and cut the dried chili into small chunks.
Soak the dried shrimps until soft and drain. Slice the ginger. Cut the shallots and garlic into small chunks.
Remove the seeds of the fresh chilies and cut into chunks. Toast the belacan (shrimp paste) in a skillet at low heat until fragrant.
Combine all the sambal ingredients in a food processor, blend with little water till a fine paste.
Heat the cooking oil in a wok, add the blended chili paste into the oil, sauté till aromatic.
Chilli Crabs
Take the crab's carapace off. Wash, scrub, and remove the top shell and the lungs. Cut the crabs in half. Save the female top shell with the yellow crab roe inside. Keep chilled until ready to use.
Combine the tomato sauce, chili sauce, THAI sweet chili sauce, and soya bean paste in a small bowl, mix well.
In a wok, heat the oil to medium-high temperature. Add in the sambal paste and cook until aromatic. Add in the sauce ingredients from step 2.
Add in the crabs and toss well until coated with the sauce. Pour in one cup of water and the top shell containing yellow crab roe. Cover the pot, bring to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes until the crab is red and cooked.
Remove the top shell. Stir to ensure all crabs are coated with sauce. Transfer the crabs to a serving plate. Place the top shell on top of the crabs pieces. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
FAQS
What type of crabs should I use for this recipe?
Medium size mud crabs are recommended for this recipe, as they have a good amount of meat and flavor.
Can I adjust the spiciness of the dish?
Yes, you can adjust the spiciness by adding more or fewer dried and fresh chilies according to your taste preference.
What can I substitute for belacan (shrimp paste)?
If you cannot find belacan, you can use fish sauce or a similar fermented seafood product as a substitute, though the flavor may vary slightly.
How can I ensure the crabs are cooked properly?
Make sure the crabs turn bright red and the meat is opaque. Cooking them for about 10 minutes after boiling should ensure they are fully cooked.
What can I serve with Sweet And Sour Chili Crabs?
This dish pairs well with steamed rice or noodles to soak up the delicious sauce.
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Tham Jessica
(@jessieinthekitchen)
I loved to cook and enjoyed learning about all sort of cuisines. Today, I am still in the kitchen and every chance I get, I cook. Some days it isn’t even fancy or a hard recipe. Some days it’s a classic, but something that I’ve created. Cooking is my time to be me. I loved to cook and enjoyed learning about all sort of cuisines. Today, I am still in the kitchen and every chance I get, I...
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