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What’s the one dish that Singaporeans always rave about? I know I know, there are so many, like chicken rice, laksa, nasi lemak, but the king of all is chilli crab. This Chilli Crab Fried Rice recipe only needs 30 minutes to put together and sooooo delicious! The fresh crab meat and the chilli rempah complements each other so well, making fried rice with this perfectly balances flavour, texture and comfort! The taste of the sea from the crab complements the heat of the chili, while the fragrant rice absorbs all those delicious juices. Every bite is a burst of umami!
Anyone who visits Singapore will be told to try chilli crab. It is a local beloved dish, known for its rich, spicy sauce and succulent crab meat. Of course, sharing similar culinary cultures are our neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, where visitors can find similar chilli crab dishes served in restaurants. Equally popular versions of crab dishes are black pepper crab and salted egg yolk crab, a local favourite version that has gain popularity in recent years.
If you can’t take the heat, of course there is an option to omit the chilli paste. Check out this non-spicy crab fried rice recipe that can be made in 15 minutes.
Use fresh crab meat
The secret to making this dish a success is really simple. Use fresh crab meat. If you can’t handle fresh crabs or if they are not available where you live, you can use those frozen types that the supermarkets sell in the frozen seafood area. Just don’t use the mock crab meat, it won’t taste the same and really there is no crab meat in those pink and white crab sticks.
Simple tips to making chilli crab fried rice
One of the best things about chilli crab fried rice is how easy it is to whip up at home. Here are some tips:
- Use overnight cooked rice, preferably long-grain Jasmine rice that is particularly fragrant after cooked. Be sure to loosen the rice before cooking as the rice tends to stick to each other after chilled in the fridge.
- Use fresh crab meat (or frozen type if you can’t find fresh ones). Those fake pink and white crab sticks are a no-no.
- Make a simple rempah using aromatics such as garlic, shallots, chili paste, and tau cheo.
- I didn’t add any other aromatics to the oil. Simply just use the chili rempah paste to infuse the oil with heat.
- Garnish with fresh green spring onions for an aromatic touch.
How to store chill crab fried rice
This dish is best served warm on the same day. If there are any leftovers, do keep it in the fridge and not leave it too long outside the fridge. Unfortunately the seafood doesn’t keep the taste very well after a day, so I’d suggest to finish the dish within the next day.
Watch how to cook Chilli Crab Fried Rice on YouTube
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Chilli Crab Fried Rice 辣椒螃蟹炒饭
Detailed Step-by-Step Video
Ingredients
- 1.5 bowls cooked rice
- 200 g fresh crab meat
- 4 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 shallots
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 big chillies
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp tau cheo , (preserved soy bean)
- ⅛ tsp salt, season to taste
- ⅛ tsp white pepper, season to taste
- 1 spring onion, for garnish
- 2 tsp cooking oil
Instructions
- Peel the 3 cloves garlic, 2 shallots and 1 inch ginger.Cut garlic, shallots, ginger and 3 big chillies into smaller pieces.
- Blend chillies, shallots, garlic, ginger and 1 tbsp tau cheo into a rough rempah paste.
- Warm 4 tbsp cooking oil in a wok over medium low heat. Then sauté the rempah paste on low heat, until fragrant and oil separates.
- Add 200 g fresh crab meat and stir fry on medium heat for 2-3 minutes until cooked.
- Add 1.5 bowls cooked rice and stir fry until rice is coated well with the chilli paste. This takes 1 to 2 minutes.
- Push rice to a side, add 2 tsp cooking oil, then crack 1 large egg. Once the egg scrambles, push rice over the egg and stir fry to mix well.Then add 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp white pepper, season to taste. Do a taste test.
- Garnish with chopped 1 spring onion and serve immediately while warm.
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