Singapore Chili Crab (Singaporean Whole Mud Crab in Sweet Spicy Sauce)

Quick answer

Total time: 50 min
Level: Hard
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 9

About this dish

Singapore chili crab is a national dish built around whole mud crabs wok-fried in a thick, glossy sauce that balances sweet, sour, and spicy in every spoonful.

The sauce is a mixture of ketchup, sambal, garlic, and sugar, brightened with rice vinegar and thickened at the end with beaten egg, which curdles into soft ribbons throughout the gravy. The crabs are cracked but not fully shelled, so diners must work for each piece of meat - prying open claws, sucking sauce from joints, and using the back of a spoon to scoop gravy-coated flesh from the body. Deep-fried mantou buns served alongside are the essential mop for the remaining sauce; no self-respecting plate leaves any behind. The eating is loud, messy, and communal, with stacks of napkins and finger bowls as standard table settings.

Ingredients (4 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Unit
mud crab	1200	g
ketchup	4	tbsp
chili sauce	3	tbsp
garlic	1.5	tbsp
ginger	1	tbsp
egg	1	ea
chicken stock	300	ml
sugar	1	tbsp
starch	1	tbsp

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Season

Clean the 1200 g mud crabs, pat them very dry with paper towels, and cut them in half.

Lightly crack the claws with the back of a knife so the sauce can reach the meat.
2

Control

Heat a wok over medium heat, add oil, then add 1.5 tablespoons garlic and 1 tablespoon ginger.

Stir-fry for about 30 seconds, keeping them pale and fragrant rather than browned.
3

Season

Add 4 tablespoons ketchup, 3 tablespoons chili sauce, and 1 tablespoon sugar, then lower the heat to medium-low.

Cook for 1 minute until the sharp tomato smell softens and the sauce looks glossy.
4

Control

Add the crab and turn the pieces gently through the sauce, then pour in 300 ml chicken stock.

Cover and simmer over medium heat for 8 minutes, until the shells turn red and the joints look cooked.
5

Season

Mix 1 tablespoon starch with water to make a slurry, then stir it in gradually.

Stop when the sauce lightly coats a spoon, because adding it all at once can make the sauce pasty.
6

Finish

Beat 1 egg and drizzle it slowly around the edge of the wok over low heat.

Let it sit for 10 seconds, then stir in broad strokes to form soft ribbons and serve with bread or rice.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Singapore Chili Crab features mud crab wok-fried in a thick, sweet, and spicy egg-ribbon sauce.
Finish cue: Let it sit for 10 seconds, then stir in broad strokes to form soft ribbons and serve with bread or rice.
Avoid this: The sauce is a mixture of ketchup, sambal, garlic, and sugar, brightened with rice vinegar and thickened at the end with beaten egg, which curdles into soft ribbons throughout the gravy.