Singapore Chilli Crabs or Lobster

Ingredients:

Lobster or crabs weighing about 450 g (1 lb)

6 fresh red chillies

5 cloves garlic

2 stalks spring onions

One coriander (cilantro) plant

3 Tbs vegetable oil

Sauce:

3 Tbs tomato ketchup

One-and-a-half Tbs sugar, according to taste

Quarter tsp salt

One tsp pounded salted brown soya bean paste

One cup water

One-and-a-half tsp cornflour

Half tsp rice or malt vinegar of freshly squeezed lime juice

Quarter tsp dark soya sauce

Cooking Instructions:

Wash uncooked shellfish well, break off the claws and crack the shell by gently hitting it with a pestle. When preparing crabs, chop the bodies in half and then each half into 3 pieces. Wash and retain the shells. When using lobsters, chop off the tail and head, and chop the body, with shell still on, into thumb length pieces. Plunge head and tail of lobster into boiling water and cook till the shell turns red. Remove from water and set aside for decoration. Peel garlic and pound coarsely. Pound chillies coarsely too. Or grind in a food processor. Wash spring onions, discard roots, cut into finger lengths. Cut coriander into one-inch lengths. Mix sauce ingredients except for the vinegar or lime juice. Heat wok, add oil and when hot, add the garlic, stir fry for one minute, add chillies, stir fry for another minute and add crab or lobster pieces. Stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes till shells turn slightly red. Stir sauce, add to the crabs or lobster and stir well for 2 minutes. Cover with a lid and simmer over high heat for 5 to 7 minutes till shells turn a bright red. Remove cover, squeeze the lime juice over or add the vinegar, stir well and add spring onions. Turn heat off, stir well and serve, garnish with coriander leaves.

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