Cang Ghe Rang Me (Crab Claws in Tamarind Sauce), No Added Refined Sugar
Vietnamese dishesPan Roasted DishesSouthern Vietnam20 minutes, with 5 to 7 minutes for the simmering step
Crab claws in tamarind sauce win people over because the sweet and sour glaze coats the shells completely, so every bite is sweet. The hardest part is the heat, since claws cooked even a little too long turn dry.
Any claw with a thick shell gets a light tap with pliers to crack it, which lets the sauce reach the meat. The tamarind is worked into warm water and strained, so the sauce comes out smooth rather than gritty.
This batch weighs about 701g, at roughly 111 calories per 100g.
Method
Rinse the crab claws under running water several times. Tap any thick shelled claw lightly with pliers to crack it so the sauce can get inside.
Mix 2 tablespoons tamarind pulp with 100ml warm water, work it apart and strain it to get the tamarind liquid.
Add 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1 teaspoon chili sauce to the tamarind liquid and stir until it dissolves.
Heat a pan with 1 tablespoon cooking oil and fry 1 shallot and 2 minced cloves of garlic until fragrant.
Add the crab claws and toss them quickly over high heat until the meat firms up, and no longer than that or they will dry out.
Pour in the tamarind sauce and simmer over low heat for 5 to 7 minutes until it thickens and coats the claws.
Lift them onto a plate, spoon over the rest of the sauce and garnish with fresh chili and Vietnamese coriander (rau ram).
Tips
Tamarind worked into warm water and strained well through a sieve is what makes the sauce smooth.
A little cooking oil stirred into the sauce gives it gloss and body.
The first toss is only to firm the meat up, and simmering the sauce afterward keeps the claws from drying.
Five to seven minutes of simmering sets the sauce on the claws, while longer leaves the crab meat stringy and loose in the shell.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.