Most Thai curry dishes call for freshly prepared curry paste that is best used fresh just before cooking.
Here is a delicious and simple exception – Stir-fried crab meat in curry powder, milk and eggs – A popular Thai seafood recipe which is unique in its use of commercially available curry powder.
The dish was first created by Teochew Chinese chefs in the numerous Chinese restaurants in Bangkok who used to cater to the working class of Thai-Chinese immigrates, that came to the Kingdom from the Guangdong province in the southern coast of China.
- 300 gr steamed crab meat
- 1 tablespoon garlic, crushed and roughly chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground white peppercorns
- 1/4 cup fresh long red chili peppers, thinly julienned
- 1/3 cup spring onions, cut into 2.5 cm (1″) strips
- 1 tablespoon chili jam oil (See page 46) (for garnish)
- 2 tablespoons natural taste cooking oil
- Season with:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons stock or water
- Egg mix:
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1/4 cup evaporated milk
- 1 tablespoon chili jam
- Mix all the seasoning ingredients; set aside.
- Mix all the egg mix ingredients; set aside.
- In a pestle and mortar, pound the garlic, ginger and ground white peppercorns to a smooth paste.
- Place a well-seasoned wok over medium-high heat. When the wok is hot, pour in the oil followed by the garlic-ginger paste. Stir fry quickly until fragrant. Add the red chilies and spring onions, followed by the seasoning sauce. When the seasoning sauce thickens, add the egg mix. Allow the egg mix to cook until the egg starts to form; gently scramble the eggs. Add the crab meat and gently mix. Cook until almost dry, and drizzle the chili jam oil over it.
In this straightforward and rewarding stir-fried dish, I am using boiled salted duck egg, available from Asian markets, as my flavoring assistant. During stir-frying, the egg yolk dissolves to a velvety sauce that softly coats the squids, and complimenting their ocean’s flavor. The alternate reds and greens strips of the vegetables emerged from the buttery yellow sauce are tempting for a taste.
The original version uses three egg yolks – a bit too much for a health conscious person like me. Therefore, I am using only one whole egg, both the egg white and the egg yolk. I tune down the white’s sharp saltiness with an additional portion of sugar, and compensate for the color lost by adding a spoon of commercial chili sauce to improve. The resulting is a well-balanced dish with the right texture that stands up in this healthy version against its original with a winning smile….
The dish captures the eye with its vivid color – It is beautiful! It is bright! It is happy! – and it fits well within the comfort zone of most westerners. It is not surprising that this dish has made its way to the top of the charts, consistently ranked among the top ten tastiest Thai dishes served abroad.
Stir Fried Chicken with Ginger and Black Fongus
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