Ginger Mud Crabs

I'mPat's Note:

This is from the ABC TV show The Cook and the Chef but when the DH and I went to make it we could not get mud crabs (not even blue swimmers) for the first time in weeks, so saving here for when we get the opportunity to get the mud crabs. Finely got the chance to make this last night and have made some adjustments (found some errors in the original recipe) - I have left the quantities the same but for us I only used half as much, onion, spring onion and capsicum and I changed the timing to reflect what I believe it would take the average person to make.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 3

• 1 kg crab (mud crab raw or live)
• 80 ml peanut oil (4 tablespoons)
• 1 inch piece ginger (peeled and julienned)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 red onion (roughly chopped)
• 6 spring onions (scallions cut into 1 inch pieces separate white and green)
• 1 red capsicum (bell pepper cut into strips)
• 60 ml rice wine (shoaxing specified)
• 10 g white sugar
• 40 ml oyster sauce
• 20 ml sesame oil
• 60 ml chicken stock
• 10 ml black vinegar
• ½ cup coriander leaves
• 2 chilies (birds eye deseeded and sliced for garnish to taste optional)

Directions:

1. Freeze mud crab for 30 minutes and then blanch in boiling hot water and then submerge into ice water to refresh.
2. Clean and chop the crab in quarters, remove lungs and crack the claws by hitting them across the middle with a knife.
3. Add some off cuts of ginger and spring onion to the water in a pot on which you can sit a bamboo steamer, add the crabs to the steamer and steam for about 6 to 8 minutes or alternatively I would use my electric steamer or if you have a pot with holes in the base site that on a another pot with water.
4. Heat the peanut oil in the wok until smoking.
5. Add onion and cook till almost transluscent and then add garlic and cook for a few minutes.
6. Add the julienned ginger and chillies if using, 1 inch lengths of spring onion white part and the capsicum and sugar and fry a few minutes until fragrant.
7. Add crabs and toss, then add shoaxing wine, oyster sauce, sesame oil and stock and vinegar and cook for a few minutes (I just had this all mixed in a jug to pour in).
8. Sprinkle with sliced spring onion greens and coriander leaves on serving (as we don't care for coriander I omitted).
9. Serve with steamed rice.