Whole crab wok-fried in a thick, sweet-spicy tomato and chilli sauce, finished with a swirl of beaten egg and mopped up with deep-fried mantou buns. Singapore's most famous seafood dish, invented in the 1950s and now a national icon.
Blend the paste
Blend the chillies, shallots, garlic and ginger into a smooth paste.
Fry the paste
Fry the paste in the oil over medium heat for five minutes until fragrant.
5 minBuild the sauce
Stir in the tomato puree, ketchup, chilli sauce, sugar and water or stock, and bring to a simmer.
5 minCook the crab
Add the crab pieces, cover, and cook for ten minutes, turning once, until the shells turn bright red and the meat is opaque.
10 minThicken the sauce
Stir in the cornstarch slurry and simmer for one minute until the sauce turns glossy and coats the crab.
1 minSwirl in the egg
Drizzle in the beaten egg while stirring gently, and cook for thirty seconds until it sets into loose ribbons through the sauce.
1 minServe
Serve immediately with deep-fried mantou for dipping into the sauce.
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