You may recall that some weeks ago we had our program where viewers could win Geoff to cook a meal for them. The Collins family of Hamilton, Brisbane were the winners and Geoff went to their home to cook mud crab for them.
Ingredients
- Peanut oil
- 2 heaped tbsp ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 3 cups shallots, sliced
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2-3 mild chillies or 1 red capsicum, seeded and sliced
- 4 mud crabs
- 1 tbsp ground white pepper
- 1/4 cup Shao hsing cooking wine
- 1 tbsp raw sugar
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- Potato starch
Method
- If using live crabs, put them in the freezer for at least 2 hours; this is the most humane way of killing them. Alternatively cooked crabs can be used. Remove from the freezer and segment with a sharp, pointed knife. Clean the segments with a stiff bristle brush (Tip: an old tooth brush is perfect) and rinse in clean water.
- Place the segments in a large bowl or tray and splash in the Shao hsing cooking wine and sprinkle with white pepper.
- Steam the crab over boiling water for 25 minutes, no longer than 30 minutes (Tip: large Asian bamboo steamers are available from Asian supermarkets for around $5.00).
- In a hot wok, add enough peanut oil to cover the bottom. Once hot, add the ginger, garlic and chilli (or capsicum, whichever you prefer).
- When fragrant, add the spring onions and as soon as they have wilted add the raw sugar.
- Simmer for a moment then add the chicken stock and bring to the boil.
- Stir in enough potato starch to bring the sauce to a thick consistency (dissolve the potato starch in water before adding to the sauce). Corn starch is a suitable replacement.
- In a large serving bowl or platter, combine the mud crab and sauce and serve.
- Serve with short grain rice and asian greens such as gai lan, choy sum, and chilli sauces for dipping.