Singapore Chili Crab

Ingredients

• 2 whole mud or flower crabs (about 700g each), cleaned and cut into pieces
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 thumb-sized piece ginger, minced
• 3 shallots, minced
• 3-4 fresh red chilies, blended into a paste (or 3 tbsp sambal oelek)
• 1 tsp belacan (shrimp paste), optional
• 1/2 cup tomato ketchup
• 3 tbsp chili sauce
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 cup chicken or seafood stock
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp water
• 2 scallions, chopped, for garnish
• Fried mantou buns, for serving

Before you cook

• Clean the crabs, remove the top shell and gills, and cut the bodies into large pieces, cracking the claws with the back of a knife so the sauce can get in.
• Mince the garlic, ginger, and shallots.
• Blend the fresh red chilies into a rough paste, or measure out the sambal if using store-bought.
• Beat the eggs in a small bowl.
• Mix the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water to make a slurry.

Steps

1. Heat the oil in a large wok or wide pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the garlic, ginger, and shallots and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add the chili paste and belacan and stir-fry for 2 minutes, until the oil turns red and the raw smell mellows.
4. Stir in the ketchup, chili sauce, sugar, and soy sauce and cook for 1 minute.
5. Pour in the stock and bring the sauce to a boil.
6. Add the crab pieces to the pot, spooning sauce over them, then cover and cook for 8 minutes, turning the pieces once halfway through.
7. Uncover the pot and check that the shells have turned bright red and the meat is opaque; if not, cover and cook a few more minutes.
8. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook for 1 minute until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
9. Drizzle the beaten egg over the surface of the bubbling sauce in a thin stream and let it set for 10 seconds before gently folding it through so it forms ribbons.
10. Turn off the heat, scatter over the chopped scallions, and serve immediately with fried mantou buns for dipping.