Chilli Crab

★★★★4.9· 876 ratings

·Serves 2

About this Dish

Singapore's national dish — whole mud crab cooked in a thick sauce of tomatoes, chilli, egg and garlic. Not actually very spicy, the sauce is more sweet-savoury than hot, perfect for mopping up with deep-fried mantou buns. Created in the 1950s and now served at seafood restaurants across the island.

IngredientsServes 2

🦀Mud crab, 1.5kg cleaned and cut into pieces, shell cracked

🍅Tomato ketchup, 6 tablespoons

🌶️Fresh red chillies, 6 blended into a paste

🧄Garlic, 8 cloves minced

🧅Shallots, 5 finely blended

🥚Eggs, 2 lightly beaten

🫙Fermented soybean paste (tau cheo), 1 tablespoon

🍯Sugar, 2 tablespoons

🫗Cornstarch mixed with water, 2 tablespoons cornstarch in 4 tablespoons water

🌿Spring onions and coriander, a small handful to garnish

Method

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large wok over high heat. Fry the blended shallots, garlic and chilli paste for 3–4 minutes until fragrant and the oil starts to separate.

Add the fermented soybean paste, ketchup, sugar, and 300ml of water, stirring everything together. Let the sauce come to a bubbling simmer.

Add the crab pieces and toss well to coat in the sauce. Cover the wok with a lid and cook on high heat for 8–10 minutes, turning the crab halfway through, until the shells turn bright red and the flesh is cooked through.

Pour in the cornstarch slurry and stir the sauce constantly so it thickens into a glossy, coating consistency. Taste and adjust with a little more sugar or salt if needed.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, then slowly drizzle in the beaten eggs in a thin stream while stirring gently so they form soft, silky ribbons throughout the sauce.

Transfer to a large serving platter and scatter over spring onions and coriander. Serve immediately with deep-fried or steamed mantou buns on the side for dipping into the sauce.

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