Delicious Crab With Tamarind Sauce (Cua Rang Me)
Crab with tamarind sauce is a delicacy that captures all the best aspects of Vietnamese cuisine. Follow this recipe to create the most flavorful dish you've ever tried!
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Servings: 1 servings
Calories: 2260kcal
Ingredients
Main Ingredients:
- 1.1 pounds (500 grams) of live whole crab
- 0.11 pounds (50 grams) of laksa leaves
- 0.15 pounds (70 grams) of peanuts
- 0.25 pounds (120 grams) of crispy flour (bot chien gion)
- 3.4 fluid ounces (100 milliliters) of water
- 3 teaspoons tapioca flour
- 0.18 pounds (80 grams) of garlic
- 0.18 pounds (80 grams) shallots
- 0.7 ounces (20 grams) of ginger
- 4 lemongrass stalks
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon soup powder
- Vegetable oil
For the sauce:
- 0.22 pounds (100 grams) of sour tamarind
- 5 fluid ounces (150 milliliters) of warm water
- 2.4 fluid ounces (70 milliliters) of fish sauce
- 0.22 pounds (100 grams) of brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons chili sauce
Instructions
- Clean the crab and chop it into smaller pieces.
- Season them with soup powder, brown sugar, and red pepper powder.
- Mix well and let the crab sit for 15 minutes.
- Mince lemongrass, garlic, and shallots. Next, finely chop the laksa leaves and thinly slice the ginger.
- Soak the sour tamarind in warm water, and press them with a spoon to release the flavor.
- Whisk the tapioca flour in cool water.
- Heat a pan on the stovetop and roast the peanuts for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Wait for them to cool and remove the skin.
- Add some oil to the pan. Roll the crab meat through the crispy flour.
- Once the oil is heated, fry the crab for about 5 minutes until all sides are cooked. Set aside.
- Add a little oil to a clean, heated pan and fry the minced lemongrass until fragrant.
- Add the shallots, garlic, and ginger to the pan and stir for 2 to 3 minutes.
- When the herbs and spices turn aromatic, add the tamarind water. Stir and season the mixture with oyster sauce, chili sauce, fish sauce, and brown sugar.
- Put the fried crab in the pan and stir for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the chopped laksa leaves and continue stirring for another 5 minutes.
- Lastly, pour in the tapioca flour-water mixture and stir until the sauce is slightly thickened.
- Enjoy while the dish is hot.
Video
Notes
- The total time is based on 1 serving.
- Rock crab, Dungeness crab, blue crab, and Vietnamese mud crab are some of the best kinds of crab for this dish.
- Tamarind paste and powder are acceptable alternatives for fresh tamarind.
- It's very important to buy live crab because eating improperly stored dead crab can make you sick.
- Try asking the store's staff to clean and prepare the crab for you.
- Serve this dish with steamed rice, banh mi, banh da, and a cold beer.
- You can store the leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 2260kcal | Carbohydrates: 326g | Protein: 136g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 210mg | Sodium: 10291mg | Potassium: 3420mg | Fiber: 21g | Sugar: 154g | Vitamin A: 1081IU | Vitamin C: 75mg | Calcium: 646mg | Iron: 19mg