We will be leaving for Malaysia to celebrate Chinese New Year tomorrow morning. Before I leave, I feel obliged to share a very delicious recipe with you, so here is my crab in sour and spicy sauce (酸辣蟹), or known as “chili crab” in Singapore.
The timing couldn’t be better as Chinese (Lunar) New Year is just a few days away and I am sure many of you are scouring the web for a great recipe to share with the family.
I have an equally tasty home-style chili crab recipe (my late mother’s recipe) but this rendition with the eggy, sweet, sour, and spicy sauce is perfect for entertaining guests or simply when you want to have a crab feast.
The sauce pairs beautifully with Chinese mantou—steamed or fried—as the bun sops up the scrumptious and addictive spicy and sour sauce. I prefer the soft and puffy steamed buns…
I made this for my good friends E and N last weekend and they practically begged me to share the recipe. I took them to the Asian market and got them the “starter kit” or ingredients to prepare this dish.
For the crab, we are lucky as Dungeness crab is in season and the market will clean and cut it up for you. Save the shell and pick out the tamale or mustard inside the shell.
Add them in the sauce and you will be rewarded with a richly flavorful sauce that you just can’t stop eating. You can also prepare this dish with mud crab, blue swimmer crab, or stone crab but I just love the fleshy Dungeness crab.
Enjoy!
How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 415 calories per serving.
What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Chili Crab
Chili Crab (Crab in Sour and Spicy Sauce) recipe - This rendition with the eggy, sweet, sour, and spicy sauce is perfect for entertaining guests or simply when you want to have a crab feast.
Ingredients
- 2 - 2.5 lbs. Dungeness crab
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 3 garlic minced
- 1 inch 2 cm ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 egg beaten
- Salt to taste
- 12 steamed buns or mantou
Sour and Spicy Sauce
- 5 tablespoons ketchup
- 5 tablespoons Lingham's Hot Sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese rice vinegar or lime juice to taste
- 1 cup water
Directions
-
1
Clean the crab and cut into 6 pieces, drain the crab and discard the water seeping out of the crab. Pick out the tamale (or mustard) inside the crab shell, set aside. Discard the shell.
-
2
Mix all the ingredients in the Sour and Spicy Sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
-
3
Heat up a wok and add the oil. When the oil is heated, add the minced garlic and ginger and stir fry until aromatic or when they turn slightly brown. Add the crab and the tamale into the wok, stirring for about 10 seconds. Add the Sour and Spicy Sauce, stir to blend well with the crab. Cover the wok with its lid and let cook for about 4-5 minutes.
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4
Uncover the wok and slowly add the cornstarch mixture into the sauce. Stir the sauce until it thickens. Add the egg into the sauce and stir a few times, so the egg is distributed evenly in the sauce. Cook for another 30 seconds or so, add salt to taste if needed. Dish out and serve immediately with the steaming hot buns.
Recipe Notes
Serve with Chinese steamed buns. Try my recipe!
I strongly recommend Lingham's Hot Sauce for the best result. You can purchase it online or at Asian grocery stores.
If you can't find Lingham's Hot Sauce, you can make this dish with Sriracha but do adjust the quantity according to your taste as Sriracha is very spicy. If you use Sriracha, do add sugar into the sauce.
Rebecca
Thanks for sharing. I love to sift some flour / corn flour or tapioca flour onto the cut side of the crab, then pan fry with some oil to golden the dish up. I will use spring onion — the white part to add more aroma, fry them with the sliced ginger and garlic.
Since you have buns or mantou, I will deep fry them in hot oil and remove once they are slightly golden, dish up then deep fry the crabs !! Once awhile to eat the deep fried buns or mantou, is ok. A restaurant served deep fried mamtou with curry chicken too !! Yummy !!
Chinese New Year is at the corner, wishing you and your family always Healthy and Happy and Wealthy !!