Loving this dish so much. Adding these 3 flavorful ingredients only - coconut milk, chilli padi & tumeric, but the taste was so delicious & finger licking good. The gravy was so creamy with a hint of fresh crab sweetness, best enjoyed with a bowl of hot steaming rice.
Try to get fresh flower crabs from the wet market and pick the ones with a harder belly by pressing slightly at the bottom. If it's feel soft, it means not fresh. The heavier it gets, the better and fresher. And avoid any of them that smells bad.
To get the rich, orange roe that will boost the crab flavour in the gravy, choose female crabs that have a wider, rounder triangular flap on their belly.
The seller at the market will normally help to chopped up the crabs into halves so that I don't need to worries of how to dismantle & chop it up. Quite convenient. Crabs must be eaten on the same day of purchase. Uncook crabs cannot be kept in freezer as the soft meat will melt and you will have nothing to eat after that !!
Ingredients : (serves 2)
2 Whole Flower Crabs
1pc Shallot - finely minced
1pc Red Chilli Padi - chopped
1pc Green Chilli Padi - chopped
1pc Lemongrass - bruised
1pc Asam Keping / Asam Gelugor
1 tsp Tumeric Powder
100ml Coconut Milk
60ml Water
Salt about 1/4 tsp or to taste
1 tsp Light Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp Sugar
Garnishing: (optional)
*2pcs Kaffir Lime Leaves (Daun Limau Purut) - thinly cut
Chilli Padi
You can adjust the amount of chilli padi according to your personal preference.
Step by Step: 1. If seller didn't chop the crab, you will need to clean crab by pulling out the upper shell & remove the tail flap. Discard gill and innards. Chop the body into 2 parts. Rinse to clean.
2. Using a chopper knife, kitchen scissor or any strong kitchen tool (a stone pestle in my case), slightly crack the body and claws open. Not too hard, or the crab meat will be crushed. 3. Heat up oil in pan. 4. Saute minced shallots till fragrant. Then add in chilli padi, lemongrass, asam keping, tumeric powder. Toss for about 1 minute. 5. Pour in coconut milk & water. Bring to a boil.
6. Add in crabs and stir to mix evenly & let it cook for about 2 mins on each sides. Flower crabs cook easily, you will know they are ready when the shells turn completely bright orangey or red.
7. Then add in sugar, salt, light soy sauce and toss again and cook with lid covered for another 2 mins to let it absorb all the flavor from the gravy. The gravy will slowly thickens. 8. Garnish with kaffir lime leaves & chilli padi. Dish out & serve hot.
Happy Cooking..