Curry Stir-Fried Crab

Ingredients

• 1 whole (approximately 300g per serving) Mud crab (or swimming crab)
• 15 g per serving Curry block
• 100 ml per serving Coconut milk
• 1 per serving Egg
• 200 g per serving Onion
• 5 cloves per serving Garlic
• 5 g Cornstarch
• 30 ml Vegetable oil
• 300 ml Water

Method

Kill and clean the crab by chilling it in the freezer for 15 minutes to stun it, then splitting it lengthways through the cross on the underside of the carapace. Remove the gills — the greyish-white spongy bits either side of the body — and discard. Crack the claws with the back of a heavy knife without pulverising them; you want fissures, not fragments. Dust the exposed meat and the interior of the carapace with cornstarch. This starch won't dissolve during the initial sear and creates a light crust that traps the roe's moisture and flavour.

Heat 30 ml vegetable oil in a wok or wide heavy-based pan until it shimmers and just begins to smoke — about 30 seconds on high heat. searing the cut surfaces of the crab body and claws for 20 seconds each, meat-side first. You're not cooking through; you're sealing the exposed surfaces so the roe stays creamy and the meat doesn't weep into the sauce. Set the pieces aside on a plate. Sear the carapace shell-side down for 15 seconds, basting it with a spoon to coat the roe in hot oil. This brief contact matters — longer and the roe begins to set and toughen.

Without wiping the pan, add the minced garlic and chopped onion directly to the residual oil and sear hard for 10 seconds, stirring constantly. The heat must stay high; this is aromatic-vegetables|aromatics work, not sweating. Crumble the curry block into the pan and stir until it's fully dissolved into the oil, roughly 15 seconds. Return all the crab to the pan and turn everything to coat thoroughly in the curry oil. Pour in 300 ml boiling water and bring to a rolling simmer. braising|Braise for 3 minutes — the heat will continue cooking the crab's flesh gently while the aromatics infuse the braising liquid.

Kill the heat. Pour in the coconut milk and egg white together, then stir constantly but gently. The residual heat will cook the egg white into fine strands that thicken the sauce without breaking it; the coconut milk enriches it. Stir for about 45 seconds until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. If it's still loose, return to gentle heat for another 20 seconds — coconut milk can split if overworked, so stop as soon as the sauce clings. Transfer to a serving dish. The roe, now barely set, should release creamy orange paste when you crack open the carapace.