New Asian Cuisine
| Welcoming Fall with Fast Simple Asian Recipes |
2–3 fresh crabs (total of 2 kg/4 lbs)
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon dried prawn paste (belachan), dry-roasted and crumbled
1 tablespoon brown bean paste (taucheo), rinsed to remove excess salt, mashed
8 cloves garlic, smashed with a cleaver
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons Sambal Oelek Chilli Paste or other sweet chilli paste
1/2 cup (125 ml) boiling water
2 tablespoons Chinese sweet vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1/2 cup (125 ml) water
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
5–8 garlic chives, cut into lengths
Scrub the crabs thoroughly and rinse well. Detach the claws from each crab and lift off the shell. Scrape out
and discard the gills. Quarter each crab with a cleaver and crack the claws with a mallet or nut cracker.
Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the dried prawn paste and bean paste over medium heat until fragrant, about
30 seconds, taking care not to burn the mixture. Add the garlic, ginger and Sambal Oelek or sweet chilli paste
and stir-fry for 1 minute. Stir in the crab pieces and toss well, then add the boiling water, mixing to coat the
crab well with the sauce. Cover and simmer for 3–5 minutes. Season with the vinegar, tomato ketchup and
sugar, and simmer for 2 more minutes. Pour in the cornstarch mixture and toss until the sauce thickens and
the crab pieces are cooked. Season with salt and remove from the heat. Sprinkle with the garlic chives and
serve immediately.
Reprinted with the express permission of Tuttle Publishing, a member of the Periplus Publishing Group.
Chilli Crabs with Ginger and Garlic chives
By Carol Selva Rajah, Malaysian Cooking: A Master Cook
Reveals Her Best Recipes
Malaysian Chilli Crab is perhaps intimidating to anyone not
used to strong flavours. But the combination of bean paste,
prawn paste and chilli adds a tantalising aroma to this dish. And
diners are beguiled into enjoyment as they taste this
extraordinary dish. Chilli crab is best cooked and eaten at home
where everyone can relax and enjoy the fun of prying the
crabshells with a fork or fingers to get at that final tasty morsel
inside.
serves: 6
preparation time: 30 mins
cooking time: 15 mins
By Carol Selva Rajah, Malaysian Cooking: A Master Cook
Reveals Her Best Recipes
Malaysian Chilli Crab is perhaps intimidating to anyone not
used to strong flavours. But the combination of bean paste,
prawn paste and chilli adds a tantalising aroma to this dish. And
diners are beguiled into enjoyment as they taste this
extraordinary dish. Chilli crab is best cooked and eaten at home
where everyone can relax and enjoy the fun of prying the
crabshells with a fork or fingers to get at that final tasty morsel
inside.
serves: 6
preparation time: 30 mins
cooking time: 15 mins
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup sake
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or crushed
2 carrots, cut into 2 inch chunks
1 potato cut into 2 inch chunks
1 large onion, cut into chunks
Preparation
The preparation of the beef is the most important. First – drain the blood by soaking it in cold water. Dump
all your beef, bones and all into a large pot and cover with plenty of cold water. Let the beef sit in the water,
about 45 minutes or up to an hour. Drain water. The meat color will have become a somewhat muted red.
After draining, slice into the beef across the grain – essentially breaking the top of the meat, the chunkiest
part into smaller pieces still attached to the bone. This allows for maximum soakage of the marinade and the
sauce and maximizes tendering of the beef.
Put all the sliced, soaked meat into a pot and cover with clean water. Bring the beef and the water to a boil
and then reduce heat to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 45 minutes. The boiling liquid will be brown, foamy
and ugly.
After drain all the beef and WASH OFF all of the foam and dirty bits. Rinse well under cool water until you
have “clean” pieces of cooked beef. (You can break up the work and do this the first day, and then do the
2nd round of cooking the following day. Simply cool meat, then cover and refrigerate until needed.)
In a clean pot (or the pot you used before but make sure it’s clean) add the following:
1 cup sugar
1 cup soy
1 cup water
1/2 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup sake
8 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Heat over medium heat until simmering. Add all of your beef to the simmering liquid.
Cook over medium low heat – turning often and allowing different pieces of the beef to soak and cook in the
liquid. Cook for 40 minutes or until the beef is tender.
Add onion, carrots and potato. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are fully cooked,
about 15 more minutes.
For presentation, you can finish the dish with a bit of egg garnish.
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup sake
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or crushed
2 carrots, cut into 2 inch chunks
1 potato cut into 2 inch chunks
1 large onion, cut into chunks
Preparation
The preparation of the beef is the most important. First – drain the blood by soaking it in cold water. Dump
all your beef, bones and all into a large pot and cover with plenty of cold water. Let the beef sit in the water,
about 45 minutes or up to an hour. Drain water. The meat color will have become a somewhat muted red.
After draining, slice into the beef across the grain – essentially breaking the top of the meat, the chunkiest
part into smaller pieces still attached to the bone. This allows for maximum soakage of the marinade and the
sauce and maximizes tendering of the beef.
Put all the sliced, soaked meat into a pot and cover with clean water. Bring the beef and the water to a boil
and then reduce heat to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 45 minutes. The boiling liquid will be brown, foamy
and ugly.
After drain all the beef and WASH OFF all of the foam and dirty bits. Rinse well under cool water until you
have “clean” pieces of cooked beef. (You can break up the work and do this the first day, and then do the
2nd round of cooking the following day. Simply cool meat, then cover and refrigerate until needed.)
In a clean pot (or the pot you used before but make sure it’s clean) add the following:
1 cup sugar
1 cup soy
1 cup water
1/2 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup sake
8 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Heat over medium heat until simmering. Add all of your beef to the simmering liquid.
Cook over medium low heat – turning often and allowing different pieces of the beef to soak and cook in the
liquid. Cook for 40 minutes or until the beef is tender.
Add onion, carrots and potato. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are fully cooked,
about 15 more minutes.
For presentation, you can finish the dish with a bit of egg garnish.
Korean Braised Short Ribs (Galbi Jjim)
Courtesy of Joanne Choi, WeekofMenus
Serves 4-6 people (my family being the sauce
lovers they are, this version makes a lot of
sauce.)
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 lbs of short ribs (if you buy
them from a US supermarket, you may have
to ask them to cut the bones in half – so
instead of a long 2 inch by 4 inch piece, you
actually have a 2 inch square)
Courtesy of Joanne Choi, WeekofMenus
Serves 4-6 people (my family being the sauce
lovers they are, this version makes a lot of
sauce.)
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 lbs of short ribs (if you buy
them from a US supermarket, you may have
to ask them to cut the bones in half – so
instead of a long 2 inch by 4 inch piece, you
actually have a 2 inch square)