Singapore chilli crab with egg noodles

“The aptly named Crab Under the Bridge, in Singapore, is where I tried this for the first time, and I loved it as much then as I do now. It’s not food for a fancy dinner party – it’s food for getting messy, and you need a bib and tea towels as you pick the meat from the shells. The keys to it are the spices and the stickiness, and to spend as much time eating the crab as you do licking your fingers.” - James

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Image credit: Yuki Sugiura

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
10cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 red bird’s-eye chillies, finely chopped
4 spring onions, roughly chopped, tops and bottoms kept separate
225ml tomato ketchup
125ml sweet chilli sauce
125ml hoisin sauce
1½ tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons caster sugar
200g fine egg noodles
1kg whole crab
2 tablespoons roughly chopped mint leaves
2 tablespoons roughly chopped coriander leaves

Method

Print Recipe

Heat a wok until hot, then add the vegetable oil, ginger, garlic and chillies, and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the chopped tops of the spring onions and stir-fry for another minute. Add the tomato, sweet chilli, hoisin, fish and soy sauces and the sugar, then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer three ladleful’s of the sauce to a bowl and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the packet instructions and drain in a sieve.

Chop the crab into large pieces. Remove and discard the dead men’s fingers, then crack the claws lightly. Add the crab to the wok of simmering sauce and toss to coat thoroughly, then simmer for 5 minutes.

Transfer to a serving bowl, cover with clingfilm and keep warm.

Clean the wok or frying pan and return to the heat. Add the reserved three ladlefuls of sauce, and when it’s simmering, add the cooked drained noodles, three-quarters of the remaining chopped spring onions, the mint and coriander, and toss to combine and heat through.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
10cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 red bird’s-eye chillies, finely chopped
4 spring onions, roughly chopped, tops and bottoms kept separate
225ml tomato ketchup
125ml sweet chilli sauce
125ml hoisin sauce
1½ tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons caster sugar
200g fine egg noodles
1kg whole crab
2 tablespoons roughly chopped mint leaves
2 tablespoons roughly chopped coriander leaves

Method

Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the packet instructions and drain in a sieve.

Transfer to a serving bowl, cover with clingfilm and keep warm.

This recipe is from the book:

More Home Comforts

“I’ve packed this book with hints, tips, shortcuts that I’ve learnt over 20 years in the business. The recipes inside are accessible to all, as I believe food should be enjoyed in the eating and the cooking. It’s all about making life easier!” - James

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