Other world recipe

Singapore Chilli Crab

Name: Singapore Chilli Crab
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Other world cuisines
Ingredients: 1.2 kg raw mud crab, cleaned and cut into sections; 30 ml neutral oil; 180 g onion, chopped; 25 g garlic cloves; 35 g fresh red chillies, deseeded if desired; 400 g crushed tomatoes; 250 ml fish stock or water; 30 ml soy sauce; 25 g palm sugar; 1 egg, lightly beaten; 10 g cornstarch mixed with 30 ml cold water; 4 mantou buns, steamed for serving

Mud crab simmers in a sweet-tangy tomato-chilli sauce finished with egg ribbons and soft buns for dipping.

Singapore; a modern seafood dish served at hawker stalls and restaurants, with individual chilli-sauce variations

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 50 min
Servings: 4

Singapore chilli crab in tomato egg sauce with warm mantou buns — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by DekcufSource page · Original file · CC BY-SA 2.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

1.2 kg
raw mud crab, cleaned and cut into sections
30 ml
neutral oil
180 g
onion, chopped
25 g
garlic cloves
35 g
fresh red chillies, deseeded if desired
400 g
crushed tomatoes
250 ml
fish stock or water
30 ml
soy sauce
25 g
palm sugar
1
egg, lightly beaten
10 g
cornstarch mixed with 30 ml cold water
4
mantou buns, steamed for serving

Method

01
Prepare the chilli paste
Blend the onion, garlic and chillies to a coarse paste. Keep the crab chilled while the sauce base is prepared.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Fry the paste
Heat the oil in a wide wok over medium heat. Cook the paste, stirring often, until aromatic and the raw onion smell softens.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Build the sauce
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, stock, soy sauce and palm sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce is smooth and lightly thickened.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Cook the crab
Add the crab pieces and turn to coat. Cover and simmer until the shells turn orange-red and the meat is opaque and hot at the thickest joint.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Thicken and add egg
Lift the crab to a warm platter. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the sauce, then drizzle in the beaten egg while stirring gently to form soft ribbons.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Dress the crab and serve
Pour the sauce over the crab and scatter with sliced spring onion. Serve immediately with warm mantou for dipping.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Brown the aromatics patiently before adding liquid; this builds flavor without needing extra seasoning.
Keep the pot at a gentle simmer and check the largest piece for tenderness before serving.

Common mistakes

A hard boil can toughen meat and break a sauce; lower the heat as soon as the liquid boils.
Adding all the salt at the start can make a reduced sauce too salty; season again only after it thickens.

Substitutions

Use a similarly sized cut of chicken or beef if the named cut is unavailable, and extend the simmer until tender.
Low-sodium stock can replace salted stock; taste at the end because sauces and pastes vary in saltiness.

Storage

Refrigerate cooked crab and sauce promptly in a covered container and use within 1 day. Reheat only once until steaming hot; do not keep cooked shellfish at room temperature.

Cultural context

Singapore chilli crab became a signature seafood dish through local restaurant and hawker cooking. The sauce is typically sweet, savoury and gently hot, often finished with egg; recipes vary in chilli, fermented shrimp paste and tomato balance, and mantou is served to catch the sauce.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Chilli crab-01.jpg — Photograph by Dekcuf; CC BY-SA 2.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to other world recipes

Singapore Chilli Crab

Ingredients

Method

Prepare the chilli paste

Fry the paste

Build the sauce

Cook the crab

Thicken and add egg

Dress the crab and serve

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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