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Chili crab.

Ingredients: 2×750g mud crabs (cooked),3 teaspoons freshly chopped chili, 2 teaspoons freshly chopped ginger,3 teaspoons freshly crushed garlic, 125ml vegetable oil, 310ml chunky -style tomato sauce, 2 tablespoons brown sugar,160ml of boiling water, salt, 1 egg (beaten), fresh coriander leaves (for garnish), Accompaniments, 1 cucumber (cut into chunks.) crips French bread (thickly sliced)

Method.

1. Remove the large claws from each crab and crak at joints. Use a hammer (or rolling pin) and crak the broadest part of the shell cleanly (taking care not to splinter shell). Turn each crab on to its back with its tail-flap towards you.

Tap around the fault line with a hammer and push the body out of each shell. Discard the stomach sac and the lungs.

2. Leave the creamy brown meat in the shell ,and break in half . Cut the lower half of the body on half and crack the smaller claws .

3. Pound the fresh chillies ,ginger and garlic to a fine paste with a mortar and pestle (or chop up in a food processor).

4. heat the oil in a wok (or a heavy-bottomed saucepan), add the paste ,and cook gently  without  browning ( or until the mixture gives off a spicy aroma).

5. Add tomato sauce, brown sugar, 160ml boiling water and salt (to taste).

6. When sauce is bubbling, toss in the crabs, mix to ensure the crabs are coated in the sauce. Add beaten egg (which will become almost scrambled in the sauce).

7. Spoon onto a warmed serving bowl and sprinkle with coriander leaves.

8. Serve immediately with the cucumber and bread accompaniments.

This should serves 4 people.

George T Saviel

9 Febuary 2010.