My undying love with Chilli Crab

Yummmmmmmmy.... ! Fresh succulent crabs cooked in sweet tomato cum chilli paste.

I guess being a Singaporean, we are always spoilt for seafood choices especially in terms of dining. There are so many famous Seafood restaurants to satisfy cravings for good Chilli Crabs.. Melben, Long Beach, Ban Leong Wah Hoe, No 3 Crab Delicacy... including some local neighbourhood coffee shops sells Chilli Crabs too....the list goes on. Even Singapore Tourism highlights this gourmet chilli crab dish as part of the Uniquely Singapore dish. As a foreign traveller, if you are lucky, you may get this dish on some occasions for free or at a discounted rate.

Singapore Chilli Crabs have gone so famous that many of our foreign visitors are very familiar with our version of Chilli Crab. This is one of the very first thing that we bring our visitors to savour when they visit Singapore. So, perhaps , next time I shall show-case my home version ??!! haha..

Well, I am proud to say that we have trained our future generation, my dearest boys, to acquire such fine taste as well.. And, yes not forgetting , the very refined "Finger-Licking Good" custom. Don't fret if you cannot do at a start, it's an acquired art to suck out the juices as the crabs are being eaten..and lick the fingers at the same time .. LOL (pardon me, these are stressful times !)

As always, my younger son has been craving for crabs ...whilst in the midst of his exams ! Sigh.. it looks like time to satisfy his cravings ! If it helps to get that few extra marks , I guess it's worth to satisfy him.. hehe.. actually, it's more to satisfy my craving as well, but don't tell him that ..

Let me introduce the Chilli Crab recipe , with all due respect to the supporting roles played by the many simple ingredients.

What is Required

500g mud crabs - washed and cut

3 tbsp cooking oil

8 cloves garlic minced

2 fresh red chilli, chopped finely ( add more chilli if desire more spiciness)

1 tsp lemon juice (or lime or vinegar)

1 small bunch of lettuce

2 beaten eggs

Sauce Mixture

1.5 to 2 cup of water,

8 tbsp tomato ketchup

2 tbsp chilli ketchup (add more if desire more spiciness)

2 tsp cornflour

1 tsp pounded brown preserved soya beans ,

1 tsp salt
5 tbsp sugar (add more if desire sweeter taste)

If you are afraid to kill the crabs, no worries..I got these fresh crabs from Sheng Siong where they helped to kill and cut the crabs!

Look at those fabulous Crab roe ...

Heat a wok and add oil into the wok.

Add garlic and chilli and fry for 1 minute.

Add the crabs, except the shell head.

Fry the shell bodies for 2 mins, and add in the shell head.

Once the shells turns red, add in the sauce and cover with lid until the shells are all red.

Add the beaten eggs into the work and stir gently.

Add the lime juice.

Simmer till cooked.

Get a serving plate ready.

Add the lettuce to the base of the plate.

Scoop the crabs onto the serving plate.

Oohhh... yummy yummy !!

Haven't you drool enough..

Chilli crabs gravy must always be accompanied with Man-tou..

for the final lick-up of the gravies !

yummy...yum yum my elder son's neat pile of shells...

my younger son's pile is a total mess..too unsightly to even comment on...

And so, Guess what. I thought I could set aside crabs for a while.. Now, it's my elder son's turn to ask for Butter Crabs ! Why can't they both be of the same mind at one go.

Oh.. the perils of motherhood, To Be OR Not to Be ... the Cooking Mummy.. I need a successor..where's Mr H gone to ?? My Dear, where art thou ...? To Be continued.....