Our State on a Plate focuses on quality WA produce and how it is sourced, cooked and served in local eateries around WA.

In partnership with Our State on a Plate, we hit the road to meet some of our business customers and primary producers to learn more about our homegrown goodness and how best to enjoy it.

A little bit about Singapore and Chilli Crab

Singaporean Chilli Crab is as the name suggests, a Southeast Asian crab dish originating from Singapore around the 1950s as a simple street food.

According to CNN, the dish is considered to be one of the “world’s 50 most delicious foods”, and anyone heading to Singapore would be doing themselves a favour by adding this ‘national cuisine’ to their itinerary.

Typically large mud-crabs (shells and all) are stir-fried in a semi-thick, sweet and savoury tomato and chilli based sauce and then served up with fresh bread rolls.

If you sit down to dine on chilli crab you will likely be handed gloves, napkins, a reusable tablecloth and nutcrackers; whereupon you launch into the dish, breaking apart the crab shells in search of the juicy meat within, dipping the bread into the saucey crab flavoured broth as you go.

It’s a messy, spicy, saucy and delicious experience.

While originally a street food, ordering Singaporean chilli crab has become such a sought after experience that it has also become an expensive one, so sharing the experience with friends is recommended. Or, you could try making it at home.

Singaporean Chilli Crab

These Singaporean Chilli Crabs will warm the cockles of your heart.

Gas tip! Cooking with gas is especially convenient for this recipe as you need constant and steady heat. If you don’t use gas in your kitchen, you can prepare it on your barbecue.

Ingredients

• 2 x Blue Manna Crabs
• 125mls x Peanut Oil
• 1 knob of fresh ginger
• 3 x cloves of fresh garlic
• 60gm Sliced red chillies
• 2 x sliced spring onions
• 60mls x Tomato Sauce
• 60mls x Chilli Sauce
• 1tbsp x Coconut Sugar
• 1tbsp x Light Soy Sauce
• 1 x Egg, lightly beaten

Method:

1. Remove the shells from the crabs and discard the fibrous tissue under the shell.
2. Divide each crab into four portions, breaking each body in half and separating the claws from the body, leaving the legs attached.
3. Heat the peanut oil in a wok or large heavy-based frying pan over medium–high heat.
4. Add the crab pieces and cook, turning regularly, until they change colour on all sides. Remove from the wok and put to one side.
5. Reduce the heat to low and cook the ginger, garlic and chilli, stirring constantly, until they are cooked but not brown then add the spring onion.
6. Mix together the tomato and chilli sauces, sugar, soy sauce and salt
7. Add the sauce to the wok and bring to the boil.
8. Reduce the heat to low, return the crab pieces to the wok and allow to simmer in the sauce for 3 minutes, adding a little water if the sauce reduces too much
9. Fold through the beaten egg.
10. Serve with white rice or fresh bread rolls.

The local name in gas and in your kitchen

For more kitchen inspiration and tips and tricks on using gas, check out our Kleenheat Kitchen recipes.