2 mud crabs
3 tablespoon peanut oil
10 cm piece of ginger
1 small red pepper
8 shallots / spring onions
½ cup water
2 tablespoons dry sherry
½ teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 chicken stock cube
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornflour
¼ cup water, extra
1. Wash crabs. Gently pull away round hard shell at the top.
2. With a small sharp knife, gently cut away the grey fibrous tissue. Rinse again to clean crab.
3. Chop off claws and big nippers. Crack these lightly with back of cleaver to break through the hard shell. This makes it easier to eat the crab meat. Chop down centre of crab to separate body into 2 halves. Then chop across each half three times; this gives six body sections of the crab.
4. Remove seeds from red pepper, cut into thin strips. Chop shallots into 2.5 cm lengths. Peel ginger, then cut each slice into very thin strips.
5. Heat peanut oil and sesame oil in wok or pan, add ginger, sauté very gently for 2 minutes, add crab, tossed one minute. Add red pepper, water, sherry, soy sauce, crumbled stock cube and sugar, bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer covered for four minutes, then remove lid. Add combined extra water and cornflour, toss for 2 minutes or until sauce is boiling and coats crab well. Add shallots, toss for 1 minute. Serves 6.