Black Pepper Crab

Rule number one of crab handling: Make sure it's dead before cutting the string! Ask the crab politely, whilst tapping its legs with a knife or chopstick, 'Hello? Hello? Are you dead?' If it nods its head or says, 'Yes, I'm dead,' beware of the crafty crab! If there's no response and the legs aren't moving, then and only then should the string be cut. I never forget the rule so no, I wasn't bitten. I was just kidding!

Of course, before you check whether the crab is dead, you have to kill it first. The easiest way to do this is to chuck it in the freezer. 15-20 minutes should do the trick, or 30 for the stronger ones.

When buying crabs, choose those that are heavy for their size, and tap the legs to make sure they're alive and kicking. If you like female crabs, go for the ones that have round 'aprons'. The pointy ones are boys – makes sense, right?

The bright orange roe is what eating crabs is all about for many people. Hence, 'roe crabs' are treasured and more expensive than 'meat crabs' and 'milt crabs'.

Cleaning crabs is quite easy. First, trim and discard the abdominal flap, aka apron. Next, grab the bottom end of the shell in one hand, the body in the other, and pull them apart. If the shell seems stuck, that's a good sign that the crab had been fighting fit until it met you and its destiny. Or maybe it was in the freezer a bit too long. If the latter, wait for it to thaw. If the former, insert your kitchen scissors between the bottom end of the shell and the body, then lever off the shell.

Once the shell is removed, you'll see some spongy brown stuff on the body. These are the gills which should be trimmed and discarded. Next, give the crab a good scrub – don't forget the crevices inbetween the legs – followed by a thorough rinse. Turn the shell upside down so that it drains properly. Looks like a car, doesn't it? (I'm thinking along the lines of the Batmobile.) Hey, that must be why its proper name is 'caraspace'!

After cleaning the crab, twist off the pinchers and give 'em a few good whacks with the back of the cleaver. The shell should be cracked and the meat, ideally, intact. Lastly, chop the body into four or six pieces, depending on the size. And that's all – done! Easy peasy lemon squeezy. I like to trim the last joint on the smaller legs to make them a bit shorter, but that's optional. I also like to trim the two small flaps at the top end of the body, in the middle. These are the manibles, which are part of the crab's mouth. But it's no big deal if you leave 'em. The crab is ready for the wok; all you have to do now is cook it. May I suggest Black Pepper Crab?

BLACK PEPPER CRAB (Recipe for 4 persons) 1.6 kg crab, cleaned, drained, and chopped (see instructions above) ¼ cup cornflour, optional vegetable oil for deep-frying, optional 1 tbsp vegetable oil for stir-frying 1 tbsp butter 4 shallots, finely minced 4 cloves garlic, finely minced 2 tbsp black peppercorns, or 1 tbsp if you like it mild, coarsely ground/pounded 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine 2 tbsp light soya sauce 2 tsp dark soya sauce ½ tsp salt Deep-frying helps the roe/milt stick to the crab and not fall off during the stir-fry step, but the oil splatters because of moisture under the shell. If the crab doesn't have much roe/milt, or you don't mind picking up the roe/milt in the sauce, skip the deep-frying. Or deep-fry only the parts with roe/milt, leaving out the legs. If deep-frying, sprinkle cornflour on crab where there's roe/milt. Rest for 5 minutes so that the flour sticks well. Drop crab into just smoking vegetable oil, roe/milt side down. Fry just that side of the crab till set and lightly brown. Remove from oil and drain. In a clean wok, stir-fry shallots in oil and butter over high heat till translucent. Add garlic and stir-fry till lightly golden. Add black peppercorns (which burn easily, so lower the heat if necessary) and stir-fry till fragrant. Add wine and stir through. Add crab, light soya sauce, dark soya sauce, salt and ¼ cup water. Stir to mix well. Cover and simmer till cooked, about 10 minutes depending on size and whether crab has been deep-fried. Stir again to mix thoroughly. Sauce should be just thick enough to stick to the crab. Poor quality crabs release a lot of liquid when they're cooked but good ones don't. Increase heat and reduce sauce, or add a bit more water as necessary. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Plate and serve. Adding water together with the crab deglazes the wok, i.e. loosen the peppercorns that are stuck to the bottom and sides. This is done to prevent the peppercorns from burning. It's different from a classic stir-fry which has water added (if any) at a later stage so that the cooking temperature is kept at the highest possible when the main ingredient is added to the wok.

Sambal Stingray (I)

I was in a restaurant somewhere in India. When the waiter came to set my place, a diner sitting nearby said something to him. It was all gibberish to me but I could tell that the tone wasn't too friendly. Next, the waiter trotted off with the banana leaf he had just laid on the table. And then he came trotting back with a stainless steel plate.

What the . . . ? Oi! Gimme back my banana leaf!

But the busybody diner was beaming and looking mighty pleased with himself. What could I say? I guess he meant well, and thought the 'Japanese' woman would prefer a 'proper plate'. I so would not!

I love banana leaves. To me, rice and curry tastes so much better when it's on a banana leaf rather than a steel (yuks!) or even ceramic plate. It's lots more fun, and I feel good using something that's disposable yet traditional and natural. Who says only modern people are lazy? Whoever first thought of using banana leaves as plates must have hated washing up, just like me!

The banana leaf in sambal stingray is the unsung hero. The sambal – always the sambal! – takes all the glory but even a good one would be even better with the banana leaf's subtle smokiness. Isn't the nicely charred leaf a perfect frame for the gleaming, red sambal? Sambal stingray without banana leaf just wouldn't be the same (though it's still better than no sambal stingray at all).



17 September 2012 Update

Here's my video guide for making sambal stingray:

SAMBAL STINGRAY (Recipe for 3-4 persons) Sambal (makes about 1 cup) 150 g shallots 75 g garlic 15 g ginger 40 g lemongrass, tender, non-bitter part only 50 g red chillies 15 g dried chillies trim stems, cut 2 cm long, soak in warm water till soft, about 30 minutes; squeeze dry and discard water 15 g belacan (fermented shrimp paste) roast at 150°C or dry-fry over medium-low heat till dry and crumbly 20 g tamarind paste mash with 2 tbsp hot water, drain and discard seeds and pulp ½ cup vegetable oil 30 g palm sugar, roughly chopped ¼ tsp salt 1 piece stingray wing, 400-500 g rinse and drain; cut a 2-3 slits in thicker end along the grain 1/3 tsp salt 1 piece frozen banana leaf thaw and rinse; trim to fit baking tray Garnish calamansi limes, halved red onion, thinly sliced tomato or pineapple wedges cucumber slices Wash, trim, peel and roughly chop shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and red chillies as appropriate. Grind or pound with dried chillies and belachan till smooth. Stir-fry sambal paste with vegetable oil over medium heat till fragrant and colour darkens, about 15 minutes. Add palm sugar. Stir-fry till dissolved. Add tamarind water and salt. Stir-fry till oil separates. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Remove from heat. Leave till cool. You should have about 1 cup. Use about 1/2 cup for 400-500 g stingray. Remaining 1/2 cup may be stored for a few weeks refrigerated. Preheat grill to 230°C (450°F). Line baking tray with aluminium foil. Lightly brush with vegetable oil. Place stingray on baking tray, white side up. Season lightly with salt, including slits. Grill till 70-80% cooked, about 5 minutes depending on thickness of fish. Spread with sambal, thinly. Grill till top of stingray feels firm when pressed chopsticks, about 5 minutes. Lift stingray from baking tray with a spatula. Place banana leaf in tray. Flip stingray onto banana leaf. Season lightly with salt. Grill till 70-80% cooked, about 7 minutes depending on thickness. Spread with sambal, thickly. Grill till fully cooked and sambal is sizzling and slightly charred, 5 minutes or so. Slide foil, leaf and fish onto serving plate. Pull foil from underneath banana leaf and discard. Garnish and serve immediately.

Herbal Mutton Soup

My mother cooked just about everyday, and not once did she cook mutton, lamb or goat anything – not once. Hence, my knowledge of cooking anything that goes 'Meh-eh-heh!' or 'Baa-aaa!' is pretty paltry. I learn on the job which is, if you ask me, a fun way of learning.

I cooked some lamb chops once. Said chops were marinated with pineapple juice, fresh rosemary and salt, then pan-fried till medium-rare. The chops were delicious but I had a small problem. You know how lamb chops have bones that are curved? I couldn't brown the curved part which had no contact with the pan. Lamb chops served in restaurants are completely seared though, as far as I can remember. How do they do it? Grilling or roasting wouldn't work because the meat would be overcooked by the time the bit which curves inward is brown. The only way I can think of is with a blow torch! Or maybe frying with lots of oil, like almost deep-frying?

My second encounter with mutton, lamb or goat anything at home was goat milk. I had two bottles delivered from Hay Dairies because some channel 8 program said goat milk was nicer than cow milk. Hah! Don't believe anything you see on TV! The first mouthful was indeed rich and milky but it was only for a few nanoseconds. The aftertaste hit me in the face with the unmistakable stench that only goats and sheep are capable of. 'Eeeeeeew!'
Hmm, what to do with two big bottles of goat milk less one mouthful? I made some yogurt, thinking the sourness might disguise the goaty smell. Big mistake! Not only was the stench not lessened by the fermentation, it actually became more concentrated. Double 'Eeeeew!'

Last resort: I heated up the remaining milk, poured the whole lot in a plastic basin, and plonked my feet in it! As me poor, weary feet luxuriated in Cleopatra style, I could hear a goat mama somewhere sobbing, 'You rob me of my milk for this?!' I hung my head in shame, and . . . . Hey, my feet are silky smooth!

And then there was the time when I tried my hand at mutton stew (post here). It was delicious, my neighbour said. 'Woooof! Woof! Wooof!' When am I cooking mutton again? That's the neighbour, btw. 'I just did but sorry, you're not getting any this time.'

I hate to disappoint my furry neighbour but the herbal soup with mutton ribs is too good to, um, go to the dogs.

HERBAL MUTTON SOUP (For 4 persons) 500 g fresh mutton (sheep or goat) ribs 15 Chinese dried red dates (红枣), seeds removed 20 g slices liquorice (甘草) (6 big slices) 20 g radix astragali (北芪) (6 big slices) 2 tbsp goji berries (枸杞, aka wolfberries) 10 g American ginseng beard (人参须) salt to taste, about ⅛ tsp 1 tbsp roughly chopped Chinese parsley 1 tbsp julienned ginger ground white pepper, to taste Some mutton smells; some doesn't. The key to a good soup is fresh meat that's clean tasting. Trim membranes and excess fat from ribs. Chop into chunky pieces. Blanch in boiling water and rinse thoroughly. Simmer gently with dates, liquorice and radix astragali in enough water to cover by about 2 inches. After 1 hour, add ginseng beard and goji berries. Bring back to a boil and simmer gently for another 30-45 minutes. Ribs should be soft and tender when done, with enough soup to cover by ½ inch or so. Increase heat or top up with a bit more water as necessary. Remove and discard liquorice, ginseng and radix astragali. Season soup with salt. Transfer to serving bowls. Sprinkle with Chinese parsley, ginger and pepper. Serve immediately. Don't simmer the ginseng heard and goji berries for more than 1 hour. Overcooked ginseng beard tastes 苦 instead of 甘, i.e. the herbal bitterness is flat and unpleasant. Overcooked goji berries may turn sour.

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