Name: Chilli crab spaghetti
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 3
Ingredients: 4 tbsp olive oil; 200g spaghetti; 200g tin finely chopped tomatoes; 2 tsp taucheo (fermed salted soy beans); 1 tsp light brown sugar; 100g brown crab meat; 100g white crab meat; small handful coriander finely chopped; 1 long shallot roughly chopped; 2 garlic cloves; thumb-sized piece ginger peeled and roughly chopped; 1 large red chilli roughly chopped; 1 lemongrass stalk roughly chopped; 1 tsp tomato ketchup

4 tbsp olive oil
200g spaghetti
200g tin finely chopped tomatoes
2 tsp taucheo (fermed salted soy beans)
1 tsp light brown sugar
100g brown crab meat
100g white crab meat
small handful coriander
finely chopped

REMPAH (SPICE PASTE)

1 long shallot
roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves
thumb-sized piece ginger
peeled and roughly chopped
1 large red chilli
roughly chopped
1 lemongrass stalk
roughly chopped
1 tsp tomato ketchup

Method

step 1
Pound all the rempah ingredients using a pestle and mortar or whizz in a small blender until you get a fine paste – if using a blender, you might need to add 1-2 tbsp of water. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the paste for 10 mins until fragrant.
step 2
Cook the spaghetti in a pot of well-salted water according to the pack instructions until al dente.
step 3
Meanwhile, add the tomatoes, taucheo, sugar and ½ tsp of salt to the rempah, and bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 5 mins, stirring occasionally, until it thickens. Add the brown crab meat and stir to mix through. Now turn off the heat and fold the white crab meat into the sauce.
step 4
Drain the spaghetti, reserving some of the cooking water. Tip the spaghetti into the crab sauce and toss through to make sure the strands are all well coated, adding a splash of pasta water to loosen if needed. Divide between warm bowls and finish with the coriander.