chilli crab

i did chilli crab for the first time at a recent 9pax lunch on 7.6.2016.

quite useful to have a group of friends who are confident & relax to try your first time food.

i have done chilli crab sauce pasta previously, so i used the same recipe for sauce preparation.

crab is troublesome stuff, to eat, to buy (how to get live crabs same day as cooking lunch for 9pax?), and to prepare – kill, crack pincers etc.

lately (last one year) i have cooked lobster (some live) on a number of occasions & learned the “mercy killing” method, basically deep freeze!

i bought the fresh crabs (2 crabs 1.1kg @ S$31/kg) from chinatown market the day before & put in freezer.

on the day i was cooking i washed & cleaned crab thoroughly (easier to clean w/o a hole by chopsticks or knife in the crab), then opened crab & cracked pincers. very meaty, & no less fresh for freezing!

my chilli crab sauce was pretty ok except it was a bit sweet, no reference to calibrate i guess.

reduce the sweetness, it should be a pretty good standard crab. for me i also like it to be a bit spicier.

the recipe & directions (with adjustments) below.

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

• 1 crab (800g)

chilli crab sauce:

• 6 chopped shallots
• 3 tsp chopped garlic
• 1 in chopped ginger
• 3 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp garlic chilli sauce
• 2 chilli padi
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp flat sugar
• 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 2 cup prawn stock
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander
• 3 cups prawn stock

Directions:

1. prepare prawn stock – fry prawn heads & shell in butter (or oil) till fragrant. add salt, a bit of oil, water & boil for 2-3hrs.
2. prepare the chilli crab sauce –
   • mix the ketchup, chilli sauce, oyster sauce, shaoxing wine, vinegar. lime juice in a large bowl.
   • finely chopped the shallots, ginger, garlic and chilli padi (or pulse till finely chopped in a food processor).
   • add oil to a large wok over medium heat. and fry the chopped shallots, ginger, garlic & chilli padi for few minutes.
   • stir in the prepared mix from the large bowl, reduce heat and simmer of 3 or 4 minutes.
   • add the prawn stock, bring to boil, turn off the fire and set aside to use when required.
3. prepare crab-
   • put in freezer for at least 1 hr.
   • wash & clean crab thoroughly (easier to clean w/o a hole by chopsticks or knife in the crab), then open crab & crack pincers. set aside.
4. when cooking, heat the sauce to boiling, add the crab, spoon some sauce over the crab, cover & simmer for 5 mins. crack an egg & stir in the sauce. serve & garnish with coriander.

crab beehoon

this my very first crab beehoon on 23.6.2016.

i do a great crab beehoon soup.

crab beehoon soup needs a lot of stock since it is a soup.

crab beehoon

i was doing a 12pax claypot rice + crabby dinner for my OPS primary school classmates on 23.6.2016.

quite difficult to crab beehoon soup to serve 12 la…so i did crab beehoon instead.

i bought 4x500g crabs at chinatown market @ S$30/kg for the 2 crab dishes.

i did not want to get the larger crabs (there was only 1 other option as the only larger crabs the women had were like 600-700g crabs) as it is easier to manage smaller crabs (cracking the pincers etc) & i thought 2x500g crabs were ok for 1 dish.

i precooked the crabs.

then when all guests arrived, just added beehoon into stock & braised (infused) & added the crab last.

crab beehoon

beehoon was super. everyone loved it. & crab was ok.

yi jia seafood’s crab beehoon – S$59

we had a 7pax lunch at yi jia seafood at macpherson recently on 21.6.2016 (above photo).

crab beehoon

i think my beehoon was as tasty & flavourful. my crab though pales in comparison.

my 2 crabs from chinatown (1kg) cost S$30. make me wonder if it is worthwhile to do this dish myself even if it is done well.

see below for the recipe & directions.

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

• 2x500g crab (use 1 x larger crab 800g – 1kg for better results)
• 200g bee hoon
• 200g thinly sliced chinese cabbage
• 2 chopped chilli padi
• 3 cm sliced ginger
• 3 tsp chopped garlic
• 2 cups prawn stock
• 3 cups chicken stock
• coriander (for garnishing)

Directions (for stock):

1. prepare prawn stock – fry prawn heads & shell in butter (or oil) till fragrant. add salt, a bit of oil, water & boil for 2-3hrs.
2. prepare chicken stock – i debone 1 chicken & boil the chicken bones with cut carrots for 6hrs – very intense stock

Directions:

1. add chilli padi, ginger, chopped garlic. fry till fragrant.
2. add chinese cabbage & fry.
3. add prawn stock & chicken stock & boil the cabbage for 1hr. reduce stock to 2 cups.
4. cook crab in stock
5. put beehoon in water to soften. when ready to cook, boil stock. add beehoon, toss, turn fire to lowest & cover for 5 minutes. toss again. add cooked crab, cover briefly. garnish with coriander. voila!

claypot tanhoon prawns – 23.6.2016

i was motivated to make claypot tanhoon after the claypot alaskan crab tanhoon at ah yat seafood @ grandstand recently.

claypot tanhoon prawns – 23.6.2016

i decided on prawns to experiment the new dish.

did not want to waste expensive crabs until i get the dish right!

claypot tanhoon prawns – 17.6.2016

i did the dish twice.

first time was for a family dinner on 17.6.2016.

claypot tanhoon prawns – 17.6.2016

flavour was good. tanhoon was slightly overcooked.

claypot tanhoon prawns

second time was for a 12pax homecooked claypot rice + crabby dinner for my OPS primary school classmates on 23,6.2016.

that was near perfect la!

so flavourful & tasty the tanhoon, prawns good, can be improved though!

actually after i tried again ah yat’s claypot alaskan crab tanhoon again on 2.7.2016, i guess mine was a little less perfect…lol!!! 🙂

see recipe & directions below. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

• 500g deveined medium prawns with shell
• 100g sliced belly pork (optional)
• 150g tanhoon (3 bundles)
• 4 stalks coriander
• 1 chopped chilli padi
• 2 cm cut ginger pieces
• 1 bulb peeled garlic cloves
• 1.5 – 2tsp ground black pepper
• 1 cup prawn stock
• 1 cup chicken stock

Directions (for stock):

1. prepare prawn stock – fry prawn heads & shell in butter (or oil) till fragrant. add salt, a bit of oil, water & boil for 2-3hrs.
2. prepare chicken stock – i debone 1 chicken & boil the chicken bones with cut carrots for 6hrs – very intense stock

Directions:

1. soften & brown garlic cloves in oil. add chilli padi, cut ginger, black pepper. fry till fragrant.
2. add sliced belly pork. add 2 stalks coriander.
3. add prawn stock & chicken stock & reduce by 1/3
4. marinate prawns with 2tsp fish sauce & white pepper. add prawns & cook in stock. remove prawns.
5. put tanhoon in water to soften. when ready to cook, boil stock. add tanhoon, toss, turn fire to lowest & cover the claypot for few minutes. toss again. add cooked prawns, cover briefly. voila!