crab udon – 好心人

Crab Udon – Quick and Fuss Free

August 23, 2016 by Ho Lang

Crab Udon – Quick and Fuss Free

My wife told me to get my own dinner tonight and as usual I would struggle with what to eat. I would usually go for the quick-and-dirty fishball noodles soup as it was usually one of the cheaper options and I would be done with dinner before a 3 year old can finish an ice cream cone.

But I decided that I would cook a simple dinner instead – more importantly a fuss free one. Of course we all know cooking your own dinner is never fuss free. You are already going out of your way to buy ingredients when takeaway would have been a more sensible alternative. Fuss free is what the professional television celebrity chef would have you believe. It is never fuss free.

So whilst waltzing through NTUC – the National Trade Union Congress – supermarket, I spotted a whole container of extra large mud crabs, everyone of them looking up and feeling hopeful and I had compassion. I decided I had to cook crab for dinner, and that it had to be quick because time was really not on my side. The wife has already commissioned me to bathe the toddler and I needed to get it done before she completes her facial.

So off I went, bought what I needed and I managed to cook the meal in 20 minutes in my kitchen. 5 minutes more then Jamie Oliver and 2 minutes less than 周杰伦 (Jay Chou).

Recipe

Ingredients

Mud Crab (or any other crabs that you would like to get, 1 extra large crab for 1 person)
Udon (1 packet per person, doesn’t matter which brands)
Mini Tofu Puffs (1 box should be enough)
Campbell’s New England Clam Chowder (this is the key ingredient to sweetening the deal)
Thai Fish Sauce (not much just a drizzle will do)

Method

1. Pour the canned soup into a claypot and add two cans worth of hot water. Turn up the heat.

2. Then cut the tofu puffs into diagonals and add to the claypot.

3. Let the tofu boil and soften. Wash and chop the “live” mud crab into pieces. Smash the shells with a mallet.

4. Once the tofu puffs are softened, add the crab pieces and cook till the shell is a reddish hue. This is a sign that the crab is cooked.

5. Add the udon noodles and continue cooking for another 3 minutes.

6. Serve immediately. Shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes. Since it is for one person, I ate directly from the claypot.

Bon Appetit!

Campbell’s New England Clam Chowder

Mini Tofu Puffs

Udon Noodles

Wash and Chop Crab

Cook Mini Tofu Puffs till softened

Lay the crab on its back and Chop it down the centre.

Crab Bee Hoon

June 7, 2015 by Ho Lang

Crab Bee Hoon

If you have tasted Singapore Chilli Crab and like it, you will most probably love crab bee hoon like you love your mother-in-law. Okay, maybe not a good example, but think of crab bee hoon as a softer option compared to the spicy version.

Cooked in a milky buttery broth and served with bee hoon or white noodles, this masterpiece dish is very easy to cook. I say again, anyone can cook this dish. It’s a walk in the park. Add a little tang-orh vegetables and it is a perfect meal.

We usually go to this place at Ang Mo Kio named Melben for our craving for crab bee hoon, but honestly, they have become quite pricey and sometimes the journey there and the long waiting time just makes the whole experience much to be desired.

So I decided that I would make my own crab bee hoon but make it more fabulous with what my wife and I love to eat. Udon noodles instead of the bee hoon. LOL. In fact, I think it tasted better with Udon.

Recipe

Ingredients

2 “live” Mud Crabs (about 800 grams)
2 packets of Udon Noodles
20 thin slices of Ginger
1 tray of Fresh Clam Meat (NTUC got sell)
1 box Mini Toufu Puffs
60 grams of Unsalted Butter
Half a cup of Evaporated Milk
A pinch of Sea Salt (I use the Maldon Brand of Sea Salt Flakes)
2 tbsp Shao Xing Hua Tiao Jiu
2 tbsp Hakka Rice Wine
1 tsp Castor Sugar
1 tbsp Fish Sauce

Method

1. Boil 1 and a half kettle of water. (1 kettle is about 1.7 litres) Once the water is boiled, pour into a large pot. Turn on fire to a slow boil and add the clam meat and 10 slices of ginger. Boil for about 30 minutes. Then discard the clams and ginger.

2. In another pot, fry the rest of the ginger slices in butter and then add the mini Toufu puffs (sliced diagonally) and continue cooking. Once the Toufu has softened. Add them into the main pot.

3. Turn the heat up to medium. Add evaporated milk. Add that pinch of salt, the fish sauce, hua tiao jiu, hakka rice wine and sugar. Continue to stir. Do a taste test to make sure the it is not too salty, but creamy.

4. Kill the crabs. Using a cleaver, chop right down the belly of the crab. Then remove the pincers and then the body parts. Reserve the eggs (if any) and wash the crabs. After the crabs are cleaned, using the back of the cleaver, break the shells.

5. Once crabs are ready, throw them into the broth. Cook until the colour changes to a hue of red. Add the Udon noodles (or white noodles) and cook for a few minutes. After that serve hot.

6. Prepare and wash the tang-orh vegetables. This is to be dipped into the broth and eaten immediately.

Bon Appetit!

Boiling broth of Fresh Clam Meat & ginger slices

Fry the ginger slices in butter

Fry the mini Toufu puffs in butter

Substitute bee hoon with Udon noodles

“live” Mud crabs (about 800 grams)

Cooked the prepared crabs

Cooked till a bright hue of red

Add Udon noodles into broth