serves
2
prep
25 minutes
cook
15 minutes
difficulty
Mid
serves
2
people
preparation
25
minutes
cooking
15
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
- 2 whole live mud crabs
- 1 young coconut
- Drizzle of vegetable oil
- 1 long red red chili, thinly sliced
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cm piece of ginger, peeled and cut into julienne
- ½ bunch coriander roots
- 30 g palm sugar, shaved
- 4 roma tomatoes, chopped
- 10 makrut lime leaves
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 60 ml (¼ cup) sweet soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tbsp chopped garlic shoots
Salad
- 1 green mango, peeled and cut into julienne
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 Lebanese cucumber, sliced
- 6 sugar snap peas
- 1 Nashi pear, thinly sliced
Dressing
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 lime, juiced
- 5 g palm sugar
Instructions
Pull the top shells off the crabs, then remove and discard the gills. Using a cleaver or large sharp knife, cut the crab into large pieces.
Using a cleaver, hold the coconut over a bowl, then crack open and reserve the coconut water. Run a metal spoon between the shell and the flesh of half the coconut. Reserve the remaining coconut half for another use.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a wok over high heat. Add the chilli, onion, ginger, coriander root, tomatoes, palm sugar, lime, leaves, tamarind and sweet soy sauce. Stir to combine well, then simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the fish sauce and lime juice. Add the crab, toss to coat well, then simmer for another 7 minutes or until just cooked through. Lastly, stir through 60 ml (¼ cup) reserved coconut water and the garlic shoots, then remove from the heat.
Place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Coarsely chop the reserved coconut flesh and add to the bowl. Whisk the salad dressing ingredients in a bowl, pour over the salad and gently toss through. Serve with the chilli mud crab.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
