Monday, January 24, 2005


My New Year's Shopping 1 KG of Bah Kau, BBQ Pork

posted by Francis Lim @ 7:04 AM 0 comments

Sunday, January 16, 2005



Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Cooling time: 2 hours
Cost: Reasonable
Difficulty: Very easy

Origin
Crab is the Singapore's unofficial "national dish". Like the country itself, this dish had humble beginnings. It was in the 1950s. A great cook - Madam Cher Yam Tian - created a recipe for preparing fresh-from-the- sea crabs. She and her husband, Mr Lim Choon Ngee, set up a food stall selling sea crabs on the seashore, every day from dusk till the wee hours, by the light of a kerosene lamp. This was the first version of the Singapore Chilli Crab.
The twist in the tale? Madam Cher's food stall was located near where the famous East Coast Seafood Centre now stands, with all its restaurants cooking up a storm of Chilli Crab every night, without a thought for Madam Cher the creator!
With a hearty gravy made from fresh red chillies, tomato sauce, fresh eggs and spring onions, Chilli Crabs are best eaten with your fingers. Don't bother to try looking genteel - use your teeth to crack the shells, suck out the succulent meat, and if you have to, hit the extra hard shell on the table top to break it! Let the gravy run down your arm, clean it up with cubes of French bread or Chinese buns (known as mantou), that are served as a side dish. All in a Chilli Crab meal's work!
Chef's tips
This is a delicious Singapore classic. It can be served with steamed white rice, though in Singapore you'll also sometimes find it accompanied by French bread. The bird's eye chillies are very hot, so adapt the amount as desired, or use a different variety of red chilli.
Some cooks also add a couple of spoonfuls of roasted ground peanuts to the crab during the final toss in the wok.
Ingredients for each crab
3-4 large crabs, about 1.5 kg (3 lb.) 180 ml (3/4 cup) boiling water 2 medium onions, chopped 2 1/2 cm / 1" piece fresh ginger, grated 2-3 bird's eye chillies, finely chopped 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 1 stalk lemon grass (tender inner leaves), chopped 1 tsp. shrimp paste (optional) 3 green onions, chopped 2 tsp. cornstarch 3 tbsp. oil 1 tbsp. sugar 1 tbsp. tomato paste or ketchup
Method
Clean the crabs. Cook them in a large pot of boiling water for about 4 minutes. Drain and cool slightly.
Chop the crabs into 4 to 6 pieces with a large cleaver, leaving the legs attached. Crack the claws with a mallet or pestle.
Mix the cornstarch into a little cold water.
Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet and stir fry the onion, ginger, garlic, lemon grass, shrimp paste (if using) and two-thirds of the chillies for two minutes. Add the crab and boiling water, reduce the heat and cook 3-4 minutes longer. Transfer the crab to a plate.
Add the sugar and tomato paste or ketchup to the wok and combine well. Add the cornstarch solution and continue stirring until the mixture thickens. Return the crab to the wok, stirring until well-coated with the sauce.
Place on a serving platter and garnish with the green onions and remaining chillies. Serve hot.

posted by Francis Lim @ 7:21 AM 0 comments

Get crabby at East Coast


CHIN WAH HENG SEAFOOD RESTAURANT#01-01, Tel: 6444-7967 Opening hours: 4 to 11.45pm (Sun to Fri), 4pm to 12.45am (Sat)

Order its salted egg crab (above) for its unique blend of taste and aroma.

A spicy mix of chilli padi, curry leaves and crab roe plays against the sweetness of the crustacean without each overpowering the other.

First, the salted egg is steamed with crab roe. Next, the curry leaves and chilli padi are fried together with some wine and secret condiments. The potent mix, along with the salted egg, is spread over the steamed crab.

EAST COAST GOLD COAST RESTAURANT#01-03, Tel: 6449-6931Opening hours: Noon to 11.30pm (daily)Its cheese baked crab comes covered with a thick layer of parmesan cheese sitting on lots of butter. If you are not a cheese fan, you may be put off by the strong taste.

The crab is first fried before being slathered with cheese, garlic and onion and soaked in chicken stock. It is finally covered with cheese and baked.

Strictly for those who like fusion food.

RED HOUSE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT #01-05, Tel: 6442-3112Opening hours: 5.30pm onwards. Last order at 10.45pm (daily)Taste-wise, its white pepper crab (below) resembles its black pepper cousin. But it has a lighter taste as the pepper is less sharp.

There is hardly any sauce inside the crab and with the pepper smell being rather weak, the meat is a little dry.

The white pepper is imported from Sarawak and processed at Red House. It is then fried with butter and blended with spices. The crab is fried with the mixture before being left to simmer in stock.

Good for those who don't like their crab drowning in a million ingredients and flavours.

EAST VIEW LIVE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT#01-04, Tel: 6442-6465Opening hours: 5 to 11.45pm (daily)Its Thai chilli crab (above) is covered with a nutty, spicy sauce. It is served with two plates of buns - one fried and one steamed.

An unusual contrasting blend of spicy sauce with sweet crab meat, the flavour is enhanced through the use of peanuts in the sauce.

LONG BEACH UDMC SEAFOOD RESTAURANT#01-02, Tel: 6448-3636Opening hours: 5pm to 12.15am (Sun to Fri), 5pm to 1.15am (Sat & eve of public holidays)Its black pepper crab (above) is slightly spicy but is not overpoweringly hot.

The first bite reveals a perfect marriage of pepper and tender crab meat which is coated with a thin layer of soya sauce.

Using the restaurant's original 1982 recipe, the pepper is first fried, then ground, before being blended with a secret stock made from spices. The crab is left to simmer in the stock for about 10 minutes.

JUMBO SEAFOOD RESTAURANT#01-06, Tel: 6442-3435Opening hours: 5pm to midnight (daily)The taste of its chilli crab (above) made Jumbo famous when it opened in 1987. The sauce is spicy, creamy, sweet and sour, all at once, and the crab from the Philippines, fresh and fleshy.

Prices for all crabs at the restaurants are about $3.20 per 100g.

Singaporean East Coast Chilli Crab

On many of my numerous trips to Singapore, I would often go out with family and friends in search of great seafood, and in particular, Chilli Crab, one of the classic dishes of Singapore. This is a delicious version of the famous East Coast Chilli Crab. It is sweet and zesty and a real crowd pleaser. It is also not as difficult to make as it may look. Once you have assembled all the ingredients it is very quick and should be served right away. Make sure you use fresh crab versus frozen to enjoy this dish at its very best. You can serve it as is traditionally done with French Bread to soak up all the sauce.

Ingredients:

  • 4 lb fresh crab (2–2 1/2 lb Dungeness Crabs, cleaned and quartered)
  • 6 cloves garlic, chopped finely
  • 2 Tbsp salted soya beans, mashed into paste
  • 2×1 inch fresh ginger, thinly sliced and julienned
  • 1/8 cup vegetable oil

Seasoning Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp light soy sauce
  • 4 Tbsp sugar
  • 5 Tbsp garlic flavored chilli sauce
  • 20 Tbsp tomato ketchup (yes it sounds like a lot but trust me)
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 3/4 Tbsp tapioca flour mixed together with 6 tbsp warm water
  • 2 stalks green onions, (lower white part) chopped for garnish
  • 2 big sprigs coriander leaves for garnish
  • 1 cup water

Method:

  1. Heat oil in a wok and fry ginger until fragrant.
  2. Add garlic and stir fry until crisp.
  3. Add soy beans and stir fry for 1–2 minutes.
  4. Pour in seasoning ingredients and stir fry for 2 minutes.
  5. Add crab and stir in. Add 1/4 cup water and cook covered for 2 minutes.
  6. Uncover, add remaining water. Cook for 5 minutes.
  7. When crabs are red and cooked, add flour paste and eggs. Stir well till sauce thickens and serve immediately.

posted by Francis Lim @ 6:56 AM 0 comments