Easy Chili Crab

 

 

 

Who does not like a good finger lickin Chili Crab on a bed of hot steaming rice...or soft fluffy bread to scoop up that tasty sauce.

Fresh crab is a must for a a good chili crab dish, and thankfully there are plenty here in sunny Queensland. Alhamdulillah.

This recipe was handed down to me by my mother in law....I feel very lucky that both my mother and MIL are great cooks.  I figured the best way to keep hubby happy is to know how to cook his fave dish from the best person that know how!

Ingredients

Serves: 4

• 1kg fresh crab (cleaned) and halved, separate claws
• 5 cm fresh ginger (cleaned and sliced)
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 250ml water
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 6 fresh red chillies (deseeded)
• 1 medium onion
• 2 cloves garlic

Preparation method

Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 15 minutes

1.Puree the chillies, onion and garlic in a food processor - you may want to use gloves when de-seeding the chillies to avoid burning your hand - then put aside. 

2.Heat oil on high in a wok. Add ginger slices and stir for 10 secs. Add pureed mix and stir for 30 seconds or until oil rises above mixture. Next, add water and lower heat to medium. Add salt, sugar and mix well. 

3.Add crab pieces, stir to coat well and cover wok. Simmer for 10 mins. Switch off heat. Break egg into wok and stir around quickly to coat crab pieces.

Sambal Tumis Jering

If you look up Jering or its scientific name Archidendron Jiringa, you will find that the medicinal values are many, namely aids in hypertension and diabetic patients.

Now I love this fruit for its bitter, meaty, and rich texture, especially cooked with caramelized onions and chili and crispy anchovies. Aaah, warm memories of childhood in my mothers kitchen.

So finding this fruit in the Vietnam market is a godsend, and here is the result.

Sambal Tumis Jering

Ingredients

1 bottled Jering (Dahendi) - drained and washed

5 fresh red chilies

1 large onion (half sliced and half pounded with the chilies)

1 tsp salt 

1 tsb sugar

1 piece of tamarind skin (asam gelugor)

200g dried anchovies

Oil to fry the anchovies

Method

Boil jering pieces until soft (around 10minutes), drain and roughly pound to break the pieces up - set aside.

Pound chilies and half of onion until fine, add salt.

Wash anchovies and drain.

Heat oil in a pan and fry anchovies until crispy - (set aside)

Remove oil from the pan, leaving about 2 tbsp. Add jering pieces and fry for 3 minutes. Add chili/onion paste and sliced onions and stir fry on medium heat until caramelized  for about 4-5 minutes - (careful not to burn), mix in the sugar.  Add tamarind piece and stir to mix the flavours for another 2 minutes.

Take off heat and serve on hot steamed rice. Enjoy :)

Chicken pie in filo pastry

If you wanted a different twist to your regular chicken pie, try using a filo pastry instead of your regular shortcrust. The result is a delightfully crunchy and light meal. If you have not used a filo pastry before, not to worry because following the instructions on the package should set you up nicely.

Also using the black seed provide a nice flavour and texture to the dish, not to mention the health benefits of this amazing herb.

You will need:

2 tbsp Olive oil

700 g chicken breast (diced)

30 g butter

1 tsp plain flour

4 potatoes (peeled and boiled)

1 cup mushroom (sliced)

1 large onion (diced)

1 tsp salt 

pepper to taste

1 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)

1 cup cream

1 package filo pastry (from the frozen section in the supermarket)

1 tsp black seed

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat Oven to 400 F/200 C
2. Heat oil in a pan and cook the onion until soft, add the flour and sautee until brown (careful not to burn). 
3. Add mushroom and cook until softened, add chicken pieces and cook for 3 minutes.
4. Mix in peas and carrots, and stir in the cream and salt.
5. Add in the cooked potato and combine well. Set aside.
6. Spray a rectangle baking pan. 
7. Unpack the filo pastry and place the first layer onto the baking pan. Continue to layer the pastry , brushing with the melted butter every time a new layer is placed.
8. After 6 layers, add the filling and distribute evenly. 
9. Place a layer of filo pastry onto the filling and repeat the process until all 6-7 layers are placed. 
10. Brush the top layer with milk and sprinkle the black seed.
11. Place into oven and cook for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown
12. Cool and serve.

Labneh in Olive Oil and spices

If there was a tasty and healthy option to cheese, I would vote for this.  Labneh or laban is a popular middle eastern snack made from strained yogurt.


Plain yogurt is strained to remove the whey using muslin cloth over a period of 24-48 hours to form a soft cheese which will then formed into balls and serve with extra virgin Olive Oil and sprinkled with spices and black seed.


If you dont already have muslin cloth, you can actually use coffee filter for the same effect.  I prefer using the muslin as it is easy to handle and can be reuse over and over again.....after all muslin are cheap and readily available.


So lets get to the ingredients:


You will need :


1 kg plain yogurt
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
Muslin cloth (about 2 feet square) 
String
Extra virgin Olive Oil
Black Seed (Habbatussawda/Sativa seeds)
Spice mix (I used Harissa spice mix)


Mix yogurt with salt and sugar in a bowl. Place muslin cloth in another bowl and pour yogurt mix onto the cloth. You can immediately see the whey (a clear liquid) dripping into the catcher bowl. Tie the muslin over the yogurt into a neat and tight pouch with plenty of string to hang this pouch in your refrigerator.


Tie the package together with a rubberband and hang it from a hook, placing your bowl beneath to catch any dripping whey.

After the 24 hours is up, you will find your catcher bowl is filled with whey. This whey is rich in beneficial bacteria and as such is slightly acidic.   Don’t throw it away, the thin faintly green-looking liquid is quite valuable.   You can use it to soak grains to render them more digestible, in bread baking, as a starter for fermented foods and in smoothies for extra protein and probiotics.   Whey should keep, refrigerated, for up to six months.  

You will find your cheese is now formed and you can store them in a container and make them into a cream cheese frosting for your cupcakes or use in cooking pasta, salads, dips and many other variety of dishes.

soft cheese is formed with similar texture to cream cheese

For this recipe, you will shape them into bite size balls and serve in a bowl filled with extra virgin oil and topped with spices and black seeds.

This snack is packed full of goodness from all the sunnah foods, milk, extra virgin olive oil and black seed (habbatussawda).