Crab with salted egg./ ketam masak telur masin

Monday, July 26, 2010


this is a dish that i recently tried and love...i've always love sweet & sour crab and blackpepper crab but crab with salted egg has just made its way to my list of fave food. this dish is also very fragrant due to the curry leaves...although i must say that the style of cooking is almost the same with buttered prawns.

only that this recipe is my tried and error based on my memory of the taste from what i had in a restaurant...but i can safely say that its close enough, my family seem to love it too so...^_^
FRIED CRAB WITH SALTED EGG.

1kg crabs (cleaned and cut into half each)
a couple sprigs of curry leaves
a handfull of peri peri chillies / bird eye chillies - well this is subjective if you don't like it HOT like i do you may just reduce the amount.
2tbsp butter
2 clove chopped garlic.
2-3tsp of sugar
20ml of evaporated milk - plus minus
a pinch of blackpepper
5 salted eggs - (hard boiled)
some corn flour
some cooking oil for deep frying the crabs

first peeled the shell of the salted eggs, then mash it into a breadcrumb consistency and set a side.
coat the crabs with corn flour and then deep fried the crabs. set a side.
then heat butter and fry butter, curry leaves, and chillies until fragrant (carefull so it won't burnt). then add in the salted eggs. stir fry it for a while then add in the evaporated milk, sugar black pepper. stir it and it'll thicken abit then add in the crabs, mix well so that the crabs are well coated with the salted egg sauce. then ready to serve.

NOTE:

notice that i didn't actually add any additional salt? yes its because the salted eggs has already given the savory taste to it but, REMEMBER TO TASTE YOUR FOOD WHEN COOKING! IF ITS BLAND FEEL FREE TO ADD SOME SALT TO TASTE.... its subjective really, i personally don't take much salt in my food (well at least i tried =p ).

above is the buttered prawns. this is no easy dish, the egg yolk is one that make it hard one to make. i rarely get this one right! but that way my lucky day plus i had to use a mighty lots of yolks to get that hair like effect! and i think having high pressured stove helps too...

2 comments:

crankycontagiouscrystal said...

Hello!! I was looking at your blog now I want to try making the crabs! Do I use just the yolks of the salted eggs or the whites as well?

And can you post the recipe for the butter prawns? I have only ever seen ONE restaurant which makes it, and they changed chefs recently so no more :'(

Thanks lots! crystal

lynnfathil said...

Hi, sorry for the late reply.

the original recipe uses just the yolk but in my opinion its ok to use just a bit of white (not too much or it'll be to salty) i sometimes add in the whites about 1/3 more or less just because i feel its a waste not to use the whites.

But if you want to add the whites make sure:
1. just use a bit, not so much
2. reduce salt coz the egg whites are already salty. - just taste the dish and alter accordingly to be safe.

hmm...buttered prawns is a common chinese dish and i think you can have it in most chinese restaurant if not all. I haven't had a chance to make the buttered prawns just yet. its a tricky dish and requires lots of yolks and high heat. ingredients are the same with with this salted egg crab minus the salted eggs and ideal milk.

replace salted eggs with chicken egg yolks ( say about 3-5 yolks+ 1 tbsp of water) to have a nice floss. when making the floss you need a very high heat &
fast hands to whisk the yolk while cooking to get the floss effect. pour the yolk form a high point or with one hand and the other whisking it (i find this tip useful)or even better ask someone else to pour the yolks.

***since using high heat to do the floss, i would you to use oil instead butter then after flossing process is complete strain it then drizzle melted butter.

i hope this helps...its the best that i can do at the moment.