Indonesian Recipes (Bali, Java) - Small Crabs in Bamboo and Coconut Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• 800 g/1 3/4 lb small crabs (or crayfish)

• 3 shallots

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1 red and 1 green chili

• 1 piece galangal root, about 5 cm/2 in long

• 2 salam leaves (or bay leaves)

• 3 kaffir lime leaves

• about 100 g/3 1/2 oz bamboo sprouts (from a can)

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• salt to taste

• 1 teaspoon Samba

• 1 ulek (refer recipe)

• 5 tablespoons coconut milk

• pinch of trasi (shrimp paste)

• 1/2 cup fish stock (broth)

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Method:

1. Peel the shallots and garlic and cut into thin slices. Remove the seeds from the chilies, cut into thin rings or strips and sweat with the galangal root and kaffir lime juice.

2. As soon as the onions have become transparent, add the rest of the ingredients except for the crabs. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

3. Finally add the crabs and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Serve with white rice. 

Tip: This type of recipe is also ideal for vegetarians. Instead of crabs, slices of tofu (bean curd) and/or tempe or beans may be used. The fish stock can be replaced by vegetable stock made from radishes, onion peel, white pumpkin (coyote) and soy beans (soybeans).