(Boston?) Chili Lobster

My MIL wanted to eat lobster cooked in some kind of Sweet and Spicy Sauce like the famous Chili Crab dish commonly found in Malaysia and Singapore.  I won’t claim that this dish is Malaysian as there are debates that it originates from Singapore. I guess it depends on who you ask! I browse through  my “Authentic Tastes Of Southeast Asia” book by Celine Carnegie and found a recipe for Singapore Chili Crab in it. This recipe that I’m sharing is based on her Singapore Chili Crab recipe with a little modification. This dish is slightly sweet, spicy and “garlicky”!  Since I’m not a big fan of crabs, and lobster are still reasonably cheap ($4.99/lb); I used lobster for mine. I personally think that lobsters are easier to eat and perhaps a lil’ less messy?

CHILI LOBSTER (OR CRAB) RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 Lb Live Lobster (Or Mud Crab)
• 1-1/2 Tbsp Oil
• 3 Tbsp Minced Shallots
• 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
• 4 Tbsp Garlic Chili Sauce
• 4 Tbsp Tomato Sauce / Ketchup
• 1/2 Cup Chicken Stock 
• 1-2 Tbsp Sugar
• 1Tbsp Chopped Scallions/Green Onions (Optional Garnish)

Method:

Please see my notes below on how to prepare the lobster or crab for cooking.

Heat oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add shallot and garlic and stir fry until slightly brown. In a bowl, whisk together ketchup, garlic chili sauce, and chicken stock (You can double this mixture if you want more gravy). Add prepared lobster/crab and sauce mixture into the pan. Make sure your lobster/crab gets a good coating of the sauce. Add in sugar (adjust sweetness according to your preference) and cook this until sauce slightly thickens and your lobster/crab turns bright orange. Transfer to serving platter, garnish with scallions and serve immediately with warm rice.

June’s Notes:

How to prep the lobster: I bought a 1-1/2 lb live and kicking lobster, quickly rinse it and dunk it into boiling water (enough to cover the lobster) just long enough to kill it (Sorry, Mr. Lobster!). Let it cool a little before cutting it up and watch out for the hot liquid inside the lobster! Cut the legs and claws off the lobster. As for the claws, you just just slightly crack it (Use a nutcracker) or cut it length wise. Twist the head off the lobster or use a knife to severe the lobster tail from it’s body. You may need to remove and rinse off the tomalley (the green icky looking stuff) inside the lobster. Cut the lobster tail into 4-5 bite size pieces. Put all this in a bowl and drain it just before cooking.

If you are brave to run your knife into the lobster, check out this tutorial on how to kill it. I do like to keep the head whole for garnish! =)

How to prep the crab: Remove large claws. Remove and discard the flap from the body section. Pull the body away from the back shell and remove and discard the gills and stomach sac. Cut the body section into 4 pieces and crack the large claw shells with the back of a heavy knife. Wash the crab and drain. Scrub the back shell and keep it whole to use as a garnish. (This “tutorial” on prepping the crab is extracted from the book: Authentic Tastes Of Southeast Asia by Celine Carnegie”)

You can also view a different tutorial on cleaning and cutting the crab HERE.