Recipe for Stir-fried Crab in Black Pepper Sauce

Some dishes become so beloved that people forget which country they originated from. This is the dilemma with the much-loved stir-fried crab in black pepper sauce. Citizens of both Malaysia and Singapore have claimed this dish as their own, and it’s easy to understand why. 

Origins of the Stir-fried Black Pepper Crab Recipe

Some Malaysians believe the recipe originated in the European community of Malacca, while Singaporeans believe it was created in a famous restaurant in their country.

With Singapore and Malaysian food so closely related and often using the same ingredients, arguments about the origin of a specific dish are generally shrugged off, except for the truly special dishes, such as this one.

Sauce as a Point of Pride

Traditionally, each chef prepared their own black pepper sauce that perfectly complemented the rich flavour of the crab. However, today, many amateur chefs balk at the list of ingredients and the intensive and laborious preparation methods for the sauce. 

The sauce for black pepper crab includes preserved dried peppercorns, yellow beans, dried prawns, chillis, garlic, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and caster sugar. Traditionally, the dry ingredients are chopped and mashed in a mortar and pestle and then carefully blended with the wet ingredients until a smooth consistency is achieved. The sauce is then cooked to bring out the aromatic quality of the ingredients.

Shortcut to Perfection

Of course, stir-fried crab in black pepper sauce is well-known and loved in many countries of Southeast Asia. The master chefs at Exotic Food Thailand, became enthralled with the taste of the dish. Understanding the difficulty in preparing the sauce at home, they created a bottled black pepper sauce that amateur chefs worldwide could use to recreate the authentic taste of the dish in their home kitchens. 

The natural chilli and black pepper cooking sauce they created made the dish easy to prepare and solved the problem of getting some of the more exotic ingredients from Southeast Asia like preserved yellow beans and dried prawns. Today anyone can enjoy rich and spicy flavour of stir-fried crab in black pepper sauce. 

Dig-in and Enjoy!

Invite your family and friends over, tie on a bib and enjoy the messy yet delicious experience of a black pepper crab feast in the comfort of your own home. 

Our recipe serves four people. However, you may want to keep more bottles on hand in case your guests can’t get enough of the rich and spicy flavours! 

Recipe for Stir-fried Crab in Black Pepper Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1.5 kg fresh crabs of any type (scrubbed)
• 1 bottle Exotic Food Thailand All-Natural Black Pepper Sauce
• For dusting: cornflour
• For deep-frying: vegetable oil
• 50 gm butter, softened
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 golden shallots, thinly sliced
• 3 sprigs fresh curry leaves
• 8 long red chillies, finely chopped
• 250 ml (1 cup) chicken stock
• 1 cup (shredded) coriander

Preparation method:

• Break off and discard the abdominal flap of the crab. Hold the bottom end of the crab and pull away the top shell
• Remove the gills and discard
• Twist off the claws
• Cut the body of each crab in half from head to tail with the legs attached. Cut each half into 2 or 3 pieces. Cut legs in half at the joints with a cleaver
• Crack the claws using the back of the cleaver or a knife
• Heat the oil in a large wok over high heat to 180C. Dust the crab pieces with cornflour, and add to the wok in batches and fry, turning occasionally, until the shells begin to turn red (2-3 minutes). Remove them from the wok and allow them to drain. Discard the oil, or reserve it for use in another dish. You can cook the shallots, curry leaves, and chillis in the oil together with the crab or remove the crab first
• Add Exotic Food Thailand Black Pepper Sauce and chicken stock to the wok with the aromatics, and then return the crab to the wok
• Cover and simmer until the crab is cooked through and the liquid has thickened (5-7 minutes). Spoon onto a large platter, scatter with coriander and serve with steamed rice or crusty bread

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