THAI-STYLE CURRY CRAB PAU

Ingredients :
(Recipe adapted from The Straits Times)
100ml coconut milk
2 Tbs water
3 eggs
A pinch of ground black pepper
1 tsp fish sauce

For the crab:
2 large live Sri Lankan crabs, approximately 1kg each
30g salted butter
3 Tbs vegetable oil, more if needed
12 candlenuts, finely chopped
4 Tbs dried shrimps, finely chopped
15 shallots, peeled and chopped into chunks
15 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped into chunks
8 Tbs Indian seafood curry paste, which can be bought from any goods stores in wet markets
Salt to taste
2 large red onions, peeled and chopped into quarters
1.5 large tomatoes, cut into quarters
5 large red chillies, seeded and chopped into quarters
5 large green chillies, seeded and chopped into quarters
Leaves from 5 stalks of Thai basil
200ml hot water

For garnish :
3 stalks spring onions, cut into 6cm-long pieces


Method:

1. Stir the coconut milk with the water and set aside.
2. Beat the eggs with black pepper and fish sauce.  Set aside.
3. Remove the carapace of the crabs and wash the insides.  Remove the grey strips on the body and rinse crabs under running water.  Chop off the pincers and chop the bodies in half.  Lightly crack the pincers so that the sauce can infuse the meat during cooking.
4. Set a large wok over medium heat.  Melt the butter together with the vegetable oil.
5. When the butter has melted, add in the candlenut and dried shrimps and try till golden brown and fragrant.  Constantly stir the mixture to ensure that the ingredients do not burn.
6. Turn the heat down to low and add the shallots and garlic (above).  Stir fry for about 3mins, or until fragrant.
7. Add the curry paste. If it sticks to the wok, add in a bit more oil.  Stir fry until aromatic.
8. Add in half the coconut milk mixture and stir.  Add salt to taste.
9. Add the crabs, onion, tomatoes, red and green chillies and Thai basil leaves.  Turn the heat up to medium and stir fry for 2mins
10. Add the hot water and put a lid on the wok.  Allow to simmer for 3mins.
11. Remove from heat and set on a serving plate.  Garnish with spring onions.

Serves 4 to 6

(Changes : I adjusted the ingredients slightly to achieve a dry version of curry crab and used it as a filling for the pau)