If you have a Food and Travel magazine subscription you should have already received the January issue, which is a Vietnam special!
Not only is Vietnam a wonderfully cultural country, but they have some pretty amazing cuisine too. As always, Food and Travel is filled with plenty of great recipes and their turmeric and beer battered soft-shell crab caught our eye…
To make it you will need:
6 jumbo live soft-shell crabs (or frozen prepared ones can be bought online)
160g plain flour
130g cornflour
1tbsp baking powder
2tsps ground turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 egg
2tsp balsamic vinegar
375ml wheat beer
rapeseed oil, for deep-frying
Prepare the crabs if using live ones. Working with one crab at a time, flip it belly-side up and, with your fingers, pull off the apron (a visible flap opposite the eyes). Flip the crab back over and lift up the shell. On either side, you’ll see a feathery but (the lungs); using your fingers, rip them out. Finally, with a sharp pair of scissors, make a straight cut just behind the eyes.
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, cornflour, baking powder, turmeric, 1tsp salt and cayenne pepper. In a larger bowl, whisk together the egg, vinegar and half of the beer.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the beer mixture. It should have the consistency of a thin pancake batter and may be a little lumpy; do not overmix. Add more beer if needed to achieve the correct consistency. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Pour the oil to a depth of 5cm into a wok or high-sided pan and heat over a high heat to 190?C/375?F on a deep-frying thermometer. Line a baking tray with kitchen towel. Preheat the oven to 130?C/265?F/Gas½ .
When the oil is ready, dip a crab into the batter, allowing the excess to drip off, and then, holding the crab by the shell flaps, carefully lower just the crab legs and body into the hot oil. Wait for 2 seconds, then drop the entire crab into the oil. Repeat with 2 more crabs. Cook for 6 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
Using a spider strainer, transfer the crab to the kitchen-towel-lined baking tray to drain, then transfer the baking sheet to the oven to keep warm. Let the oil return to temperature, skimming any bits of batter from the oil with a spider strainer, then fry the remaining crabs as described above, draining them briefly on a kitchen-towel-lined tray.
Cut each crab in half and arrange the pieces on a large serving plate, surrounded by the lettuce and rau ram. To eat, wrap a piece of crab in a lettuce leaf with some rau ram and dip into the sauce (recipe for which is also in the issue!).
And there you have it – delicious!
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Posted by Amy Power.
