Julia’s Chili Crab

Name: Julia’s Chili Crab (Kepiting Saus Julia)
Yield: Makes 4 servings as part of a multicourse meal
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients: Steamed rice, man tou, or crusty bread for serving; Steamed rice, man tou, or crusty bread for serving; Steamed rice, man tou, or crusty bread for serving; 2 tablespoons water; 2 teaspoons cornstarch or tapioca flour; ¼ cup (7 g) fresh cilantro leaves (optional); ¼ cup (23 g) thinly sliced green onions (optional); 1 cup (225 g) all-natural or organic tomato ketchup; 2 tablespoons sambal oelek; 1 tablespoon sherry or vermouth (optional); 1 tablespoon sherry or vermouth (optional); ½ oz (15 g) fresh ginger, peeled and minced; 2 cups (475 ml) homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken broth; 2 cups (475 ml) homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken broth; 1 cup (225 g) all-natural or organic tomato ketchup; 2 lb (1 kg) Dungeness or snow crab legs (3–4 clusters), thawed if frozen, split into 2- or 3-leg sections, and shells cracked with a meat pounder or nutcracker; 2 lb (1 kg) Dungeness or snow crab legs (3–4 clusters), thawed if frozen, split into 2- or 3-leg sections, and shells cracked with a meat pounder or nutcracker; 2 large eggs, beaten; 2 teaspoons cornstarch or tapioca flour; 2 teaspoons sugar; 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt; 2 lb (1 kg) Dungeness or snow crab legs (3–4 clusters), thawed if frozen, split into 2- or 3-leg sections, and shells cracked with a meat pounder or nutcracker; 2 lb (1 kg) Dungeness or snow crab legs (3–4 clusters), thawed if frozen, split into 2- or 3-leg sections, and shells cracked with a meat pounder or nutcracker; 3 Asian shallots or 1 European shallot, chopped; 3 Asian shallots or 1 European shallot, chopped; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 3 cloves garlic, minced

Kepiting Saus Julia

Preparation info

Makes
4
servings as part of a multicourse meal

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Mortar and Pestle

By Patricia Tanumihardja

Published 2024

About

My extended family has made serving chili crab at Thanksgiving a tradition. Julia’s recipe is a cross between Singapore chili crab and Indonesian-style kepiting saus Padang (crab cooked Padang-style, i.e., very spicy!). She would usually buy live crabs from the market and kill them just before cooking. I did this once and prefer not to repeat the experience, so I’m using crab leg clusters instead. I’m only using 2 lb (1 kg) of crab legs because we usually have this dish tog

Ingredients

Asia
Indonesia
Singapore
Main course
Dinner
Spicy
Thanksgiving
South East Asia

Ingredients

Method