You will need:
For the chilli paste
50ml olive oil
¼ stalk lemongrass, finely chopped
4 long red chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped
50g ginger, peeled
4 garlic cloves
3 eshallots, cut in half
½ bunch coriander root, roughly chopped
60g palm sugar or coconut sugar
45ml fish sauce
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
For the crabs
2 tbls olive oil or coconut oil
2 mud crabs, cleaned and cut into 4 (clays busted open with the back of a knife)
400ml tin coconut milk
How to make:
1. First, we need to make the chilli paste – this is what we’ll cook the crabs in. Take a large saucepan and place it on high heat, then add the oil and lemongrass.
2. Add the chilli, ginger, garlic, eschallots and coriander root to the saucepan, stirring constantly. The ingredients should start to caramelize quite quickly.
3. Add the sugar and keep cooking until the chillies become soft. Then add the fish sauce and cherry tomatoes – break the tomatoes down using the back of your wooden spoon.
4. Keep stirring until all ingredients are soft, then blend the entire mix into a rough paste. Set aside.
5. Take a heavyset frying pan on high heat, add the olive or coconut oil, chilli paste and crabs. Fry the crabs off in the pan for a minute, making sure stir constantly.
6. Add the coconut milk and put the lid on for a minute or so to help steam the crabs. Cook for 5 minutes, then serve.
7. Divide crab and sauce between four bowls, with handful of sambal over the top.
TIP: Be sure not to overcook the crabs, otherwise they will start to breakdown and turn into mush!
