For company
Singapore chilli crab
Singapore's great messy masterpiece — whole crab in a fiery, faintly sweet chilli-tomato sauce thickened with ribbons of egg.
This is HOT. You can temper the chilli, but that rather defeats the purpose — chilli is in the name of the dish. Fresh limes or lemons over the top, rice underneath, and a pile of napkins.
Method
- 01
Blitz or pound the chillies, garlic, ginger and shallots to a rough paste.
- 02
Heat the oil in a very large wok and fry the paste over medium heat for 5–6 minutes until it darkens and smells sweet rather than raw.
- 03
Stir in the tomato paste and cook 2 minutes, then add the passata, sambal, soy, sugar, vinegar and stock. Simmer 5 minutes.
- 04
Slide in the crab pieces, cover and steam-simmer 8–10 minutes, turning them through the sauce, until the shells are bright and the meat is opaque.
- 05
Stir in the cornflour slurry and let the sauce thicken for a minute.
- 06
Turn the heat low, pour the beaten egg in a thin stream over the surface, count to ten, then fold once — you want ribbons, not scrambled egg.
- 07
Scatter with spring onion and coriander and serve immediately with rice and plenty of lime or lemon.
Keep cooking
