If you want to impress with a warming hearty dish, then this might just be it. Crunchy flavoursome soft shell crabs coated with a fragrant and rich curry sauce.
Difficulty: Medium/Difficult
Time: 2hrs
Serves: 2
Ingredients
Deep Fried Soft Shell Crabs
- 3 soft shell crabs
- 60g tempura flour
- 90ml water
Curry Paste
- 7 large dried red chillies
- 10 dried bird's eye chillies
- 1 coriander root finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemongrass finely sliced
- 1 1/2 tbsp galangal finely sliced
- 4 shallots chopped
- 5 garlic cloves finely sliced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
- 1 1/2 tbsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp roasted cumin seeds
- 1 tsp roasted coriander seeds
- 3 cm piece fresh turmeric peeled and chopped
- 1/2 tsp shrimp paste
Curry Sauce
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp palm sugar
- 2 kaffir lime leaves torn
Garnish
- 4 kaffir lime leaves finely sliced
- 1 red spur chilli finely sliced diagonally
- 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves
Method
1. Combine all the ingredients for the curry paste in a large mortar and pound with pestle until a smooth paste. Alternatively, blitz it into a smooth paste in a food processor.
2. Dry the soft shell crabs well with a kitchen towel. Combine the water with the tempura flour, mix well ensuring there are no lumps. Heat up oil in a small frying pot, dip the soft shell crabs in the tempura batter ensuring it's well coated, deep fry until golden brown. Set aside on kitchen towels.
3. Heat up some oil in a cast iron pot, add the curry paste and fry for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the coconut milk, palm sugar, fish sauce and kaffir lime leaves. Taste and adjust the seasoning as required. Cook for a further few minutes to let the flavour infuse.
4. Assemble by ladling some sauce in the middle of the plate, drizzle with some coconut milk, then top with soft shell crabs and garnish with the red chillies, kaffir lime leaves and Thai basil leaves. Enjoy!
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