Episode: Singapore Special
Presenter: Trevor Cochrane, Neville Passmore

At the end of a long, hot day Trevor and Neville decide to enjoy some of the world’s best fresh seafood. They are on the east coast of Singapore about 25 minutes out of the heart of the city and on the edge of the harbour.

There is a smorgasbord of seafood from right around the world and it is absolutely delicious. Freshness is the essence of all of the food. There is a huge variety with king crabs from Canada, Aussie rock lobster and some of the biggest oysters Neville and Trevor have ever seen.

There are also fantastic prawns, including mantis prawns which are huge big fellas. But what Neville has been looking for are the mud crabs. He absolutely loves them with chilli!

A chilli sauce mixture is added to a flaming hot wok that contains a dash of oil and the crab, the shell cracked to allow the flavours into the meat. Then comes the stock, a little sugar, flower for the thickening and finally some egg yoke.

It is so simple but so delicious; chilli crab, Singapore style!

Another equally famous crab dish that you just have to give a try is the black pepper crab which is hot and fiery and absolutely delicious. It is a unique Singapore dish and it is the speciality of the restaurant.

Chilli Crab Recipe

Ingredients
1 lb (450g) mud crabs or soft shelled crabs
4 tbsp plain flour if using soft shelled crabs
3 tbsp vegetable oil*
8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
8 fresh red chilli, roughly chopped
1 egg
2 spring onions (scallions), cut into finger length
1 tsp freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
1 small bunch coriander plant (cilantro)
*For soft-shelled crabs, oil for deep frying

Mix together for Sauce
1 cup of water, 5 tbsp tomato catsup, 1 1/2 to 3 tbsp sugar, or according to taste, 1 1/2 tsp cornflour, 1 tsp pounded brown preserved soya beans or dark miso (optional), 1/4 tsp salt

Method
Heat the oil in a wok or shallow saucepan over high heat. Add garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the chilli, stir-fry till fragrant. For mud crabs, add at this stage. Fry well till shells start turning red, add sauce ingredients stir well, cover with lid and simmer till shells are red. Break eggs into the wok and streak with a fork, simmer till cooked. Squeeze lime juice over and stir in scallions. For soft-shelled crabs, cut each crab into four, dry well, dredge in flour and deep fry till golden brown and crispy. Make the sauce as above, but omit the mud crabs. Toss soft shelled crabs in sauce just before serving.


Black Pepper Crab Recipe

You need:
2 lbs large mud crabs or prawns, claws cracked, shells removed and cleaned. Drain to dry.
Or 1 lb soft shelled crabs
1 cup flour if using soft shelled crabs
4 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 fresh red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
4 tbsp butter
10 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
10 slices young ginger
1 to 2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp dark soya sauce
2 tsp sugar (optional)
Coriander leaves to garnish
Oil for deep frying

Method
Dry-fry* black pepper in a wok or frying pan till fragrant. Remove and keep aside. The crabs taste best if they are deep fried in very hot oil first – deep fry on all sides till the crabs turn red. Drain and keep the oil aside. For soft shelled crabs, pat the crabs dry, cut each crab into 4, coat with flour and deep fry till golden browned and crispy. Heat a wok, add the butter and when it melts and is hot, add the garlic, ginger and chilli and stir fry for three minutes till the mixture is fragrant. Add the oyster sauce, soya sauce and sugar and stir well before adding the pepper. Stir fry a few seconds on high heat, add the crabs and stir fry one minute. Serve with the garnish.

* DRY FRYING is an old fashioned cooking method where food is stir fried till fragrant in a wok or frying pan without oil.