Chilli Mud Crab

Ingredients

• 4 mud crabs
• 6 tablespoons oil
• 8 cloves of garlic- chopped
• 4 banana chillies- chopped
• 4 tablespoon ginger– julienne
• 1cup tomatosauce
• ½ cup sweet chillisauce or linghams chilli sauce
• 1 ½ cups water or chickenstock
• 6 tablespoons hoi sin sauce
• 1 cup chopped green spring onion
• 1 cup mixed Vietnamese mint leaves, corianderleaves and normal mint leaves
• 2 Tablespoon corianderroot – chopped
• 2 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 – 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoon sea salt
• 30 cherry tomatoescut in half

Method

1. Freeze the crabs until they are killed
2. Remove the top head shell and discard
3. Remove the gills (or dead mans fingers as they are also known)
4. Clean out any excess muck (rinse very lightly and quickly)
5. Cut in half lengthways, then cut into 3 on each side using a cleaver
6. Crack the claws with the back of a knife or cleaver just so they open a bit to let the sauce in.
7. Heat oil in a wok
8. Add garlic, chilli, ginger and coriander root and cook until fragrant
9. Add the crabs and toss for 1 minute
10. Add tomato sauce, chilli sauce, water, hoi sin sauce, fish sauce, sugar and salt.
11. Stir to combine the ingredients, bring to the boil.
12. Cover and allow to simmer/steam for about 10 minutes
13. Add in the green onions, cherry tomatoes and herbs and serve with steamed jasmine rice, crab crackers, crab pickers, finger bowls and bibs