I pretty much wing this recipe. But I start with
2 cans of coconut milk
2-3 Tbsp Peanut butter
Add Masaman, Panang or Yellow Curry to taste and desired heat if you want a little sweetness go ahead and add some of your sweetener of choice (I like the Splenda Brown sugar blend since I can tolerate that)
Half any potatoes if you chose to add them to the curry as you boil them.
Boil the curry until you achieve the desired thickness (when you see the oil separate is highly desired in Thailand)
I prefer to use Shallots vs onions as shallots are the staple in Southeast Asian cuisine. They are a bit sweeter and milder than onions also.
sauté the harder vegetables in a separate pan (carrots, shallots, lemon grass, add the softer ones like pepper toward the end etc)
I love using fresh lemon grass stalks if my local Asian grocery has them, don't use the fibrous portions, just the softer end. If you cant find any fresh chutes I add the stuff in the squeeze tube at the local grocery store produce section.
Use either peanut or avocado oil (not olive oil-European oil in an Asian dish flavor is off putting.)
Up to you if you want combine the vegetables with the curry or if you want to lay the curry on a bed of rice and then top with the vegetables with the crab.
crab
Thaw and soak in buttermilk for minimum 40 min, I go 1-2 hours, this helps the crabmeat puff up and become light and fluffy/creamy (I also do not shy away from eating the head butter and I think the buttermilk helps with flavor in this)
Summer is softshell crab season. If you can find them the Whale size (6inch) is perfect size.
if uncleaned you just have to cut the face off and lift the side flaps to cut the gills out and rinse. (see YouTube to clean)
Pat dry the crab
use 2 eggs and whip to make the binder
1-2 cups of flour
Salt and pepper to taste and or add a tablespoon of your choice of Old Bay or other Boil seasoning.
Put your flour and seasoning in a gallon zip loc bag
Dip the crab in the egg wash and then place in the zip loc bag leaving plenty of air in the bag and shake, let sit for about 4 minutes to make sure the crab absorbs the flour well.
Take out and fry the crab being careful to keep your fry oil at 350-375f, Should take about 4-5 minutes at the most if thawed. I stand there the whole time frying mine in a round bottom wok, flipping it and observing when I think it is cook and still tender.
Plate the rice, curry and veggies and top with the crab. garnish with mung bean sprouts, green onion and lime, lemon or Calamansi. serve up and enjoy!
2 cans of coconut milk
2-3 Tbsp Peanut butter
Add Masaman, Panang or Yellow Curry to taste and desired heat if you want a little sweetness go ahead and add some of your sweetener of choice (I like the Splenda Brown sugar blend since I can tolerate that)
Half any potatoes if you chose to add them to the curry as you boil them.
Boil the curry until you achieve the desired thickness (when you see the oil separate is highly desired in Thailand)
I prefer to use Shallots vs onions as shallots are the staple in Southeast Asian cuisine. They are a bit sweeter and milder than onions also.
sauté the harder vegetables in a separate pan (carrots, shallots, lemon grass, add the softer ones like pepper toward the end etc)
I love using fresh lemon grass stalks if my local Asian grocery has them, don't use the fibrous portions, just the softer end. If you cant find any fresh chutes I add the stuff in the squeeze tube at the local grocery store produce section.
Use either peanut or avocado oil (not olive oil-European oil in an Asian dish flavor is off putting.)
Up to you if you want combine the vegetables with the curry or if you want to lay the curry on a bed of rice and then top with the vegetables with the crab.
crab
Thaw and soak in buttermilk for minimum 40 min, I go 1-2 hours, this helps the crabmeat puff up and become light and fluffy/creamy (I also do not shy away from eating the head butter and I think the buttermilk helps with flavor in this)
Summer is softshell crab season. If you can find them the Whale size (6inch) is perfect size.
if uncleaned you just have to cut the face off and lift the side flaps to cut the gills out and rinse. (see YouTube to clean)
Pat dry the crab
use 2 eggs and whip to make the binder
1-2 cups of flour
Salt and pepper to taste and or add a tablespoon of your choice of Old Bay or other Boil seasoning.
Put your flour and seasoning in a gallon zip loc bag
Dip the crab in the egg wash and then place in the zip loc bag leaving plenty of air in the bag and shake, let sit for about 4 minutes to make sure the crab absorbs the flour well.
Take out and fry the crab being careful to keep your fry oil at 350-375f, Should take about 4-5 minutes at the most if thawed. I stand there the whole time frying mine in a round bottom wok, flipping it and observing when I think it is cook and still tender.
Plate the rice, curry and veggies and top with the crab. garnish with mung bean sprouts, green onion and lime, lemon or Calamansi. serve up and enjoy!
