From Crazy Rich Asians · 2018 · Reconstructed
Singapore Chili Crab
Serve when
Serve it with the warning already given — 'this crab is not gonna eat itself' — bibs on, both hands in.
In the movie
Theatrical
- 00:22:07 At the Newton hawker centre, the group digs into a whole chili crab straight off the table — 'we have to dig in, 'cause this crab is not gonna eat itself' — sweet, fiery, and eaten entirely by hand.
The hawker centre is Rachel's first taste of the Singapore the Youngs actually love — not champagne towers, but a plastic table piled with the city's best cheap food. The chili crab gets a line to itself precisely because it's the messiest, least genteel dish on the table: sweet, spicy sauce running down both wrists, no fork in sight. The film is unambiguous that this, not the wealth on display later, is the real Singapore.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oil in a wok until shimmering. Fry the garlic, ginger, and chili until fragrant, then stir in the sambal and cook a minute more.
- Add the ketchup, soy sauce, and sugar, then the stock, and bring to a simmer.
- Add the cracked crab pieces and toss to coat, covering and cooking 8-10 minutes, turning once, until the crab is cooked through and the shells turn deep red.
- Uncover, drizzle in the beaten egg while stirring, letting it set into loose ribbons through the sauce.
- Scatter with scallions and serve in the pot, with fried mantou or bread for mopping up the sauce — and plenty of napkins.
Beyond the recipe
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