- 1-1.5kg cooked whole crab
- 2 tbsp coconut cream
- 200ml/7fl oz coconut milk
- 2 kaffir lime leaves, in fine julienne
- small bunch sweet Thai basil, picked
- lime juice, to taste
- palm sugar, to taste
- fish sauce, to taste
- 300ml/10fl oz vegetable oil
- Note: This recipe originally uses Australian measurements. Equivalent measurements are as accurate as possible.
- This dish serves 1 devoted crab eater or 4 persons as part of a shared meal with steamed jasmine rice.
- Pull off the top shell of the crab, discard the brown lungs and wash.
- Pull off the claws, chop the body in half, and crack the hard shell on the claws with the back of a cleaver.
- Preheat the vegetable oil to 180C/350F in a large wok and add the crabmeat.
- Stir fry the crabmeat for 1-2 minutes, then remove from the oil and drain well on kitchen paper.
- To a large wok, add 2 tbsp vegetable oil and the coconut cream. Cook on a high heat until the coconut cream fats separate and it becomes fragrant, about 3 minutes.
- Add the chilli paste, lime leaf julienne and chilli halves, fry out until fragrant. This should take about 2 minutes or a touch longer for the homemade paste.
- Add the palm sugar and allow to caramelise, then the fish sauce. The flavours of hot, salty, sour and sweet should be balanced.
- Add the coconut, bring to the boil and simmer for a minute. At this point, add the crab to the wok and continue to stir-fry until just cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the Thai basil and lime juice.