Sweet and Sour Chili Crabs

 

Have you ever eat mud crabs with sweet and sour sauce? Indeed, that was my mom's favorite dish. 

I still remember the childhood days when we were still renting a house and my mother used to make sweet and sour crabs. On that day, there was a blackout. Additionally, it was swelteringly hot and humid. We were dining on those mouthwatering sweet and sour mud crabs outside the house by twilight. That was the most delectable and memorable crab dish I have ever had. Even though my mom was still making the same sweet and sour crab after we moved into a new home, the dish no longer tasted the same as it had that day. Maybe that was from my early memories!

But today, I'm going to make some changes to this recipe -  sweet and sour chilli crabs. Instead of using chilled crab, it is advised to use fresh crab. Because the meat will start to shrink and taste significantly worse if the crab is not freshly cooked and kept in the refrigerator for more than a day!

I enjoy spicy food, but this sauce also contains tomato sauce, soybean paste, and the most vital component—sambal—in addition to chilli. The ingredients for sambal paste or chili paste , a chilli sauce or paste, belacan, or shrimp paste, as well as fresh and dried chilies. You will see that the  gravy will be thickened with the chili paste, and a big puddle of sauce will cover every crab.

You can either purchase pre-made sambal or make your own using the recipe provided below. Of course, not everyone like the sambal's aroma or flavour. It can be left out. The crabs are still tasty without the spicy flavour.

I purchased 6 female and 4 male mud crabs for this dish. Usually, female crabs are more expensive than male crabs when served in restaurants. This is a result of the stomach's yellow crab roe, which is the finest part of crabs to eat.

You still need utensils, such as chopsticks, tiny forks, or even your fingers, to suck every bit of succulent even if the crabs have already been cut in half and the shells pre-smashed.

Are you starting to get hungry for these delicious chilli crabs? To begin, let's gather all the necessary supplies and detailed information.

INGREDIENTS (sambal paste)

3 dried chili (add more as your desires)

2 fresh red chillies

3 shallots

6 cloves garlic

5 inch  ginger

1 tbsp dried shrimps

10g of belacan/ shrimp paste

½ cup water

 

METHOD

1. Soak the dried chili in hot water until soft. Remove the seeds and cut the dried chili into small chunks.

2. Soak the dried shrimps until soft and drain. Slice the ginger. Cut the shallots and garlic into small chunks. 

3. Remove the seeds of the fresh chilies and cut into chunks. Toast the belacan (shrimp paste) in a skillet at low heat until fragrant. 

4. Combine all the sambal ingredients in a food processor, blend with little water till fine paste.

INGREDIENTS (Chilli crabs)

10 medium size of mud crabs

½ cup  tomato sauce

½ cup chili sauce

½ cup THAI sweet chilli sauce

2 tbsp soya bean paste (taucu)

1 cup water

Salt and sugar to taste

Some fresh cilantros for granishing

 

METHODS

1. Take the crab's carapace off. Wash, scrub and remove the top shell and the lungs. The crabs were cut in half. Save the female top shell with the yellow crab roe inside. Keep chilled until you are ready to use.

2. Combine the tomato sauce, chili sauce, THAI sweet chili sauce, and soya bean paste in a small bowl, mix well.

2. In a wok, heat the oil to a medium-high temperature. Add in the sambal paste (chili paste) and  cooked until aromatic. Cook and stir continuously until the colour darkens. Add in the sauce ingredients  from step 2. 

4. Add in the crabs and toss it well until all the crabs are well coated with the sauce. Pour in one cup of water and the top shell, which contains yellow crab roe. Cover the pot, bring it to a boil and turn to  lower heat to keep it simmering for about 10 minutes, or until the crab is brilliant red and thoroughly cooked.

5. Remove the top shell. Give it a good stir and make sure all the crabs are well coated with sauce. Remove the crabs to a serving plate. Place the top shell on top of the crabs pieces and garnish with chopped cilantro. ENJOY!!