Stir-fried noodles with sambal and crab

Name: Stir-fried noodles with sambal and crab
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 60g coconut oil; 5 fresh lime leaves (optional - Makrut if you can get them); 170ml tinned coconut cream; 100g dried rice vermicelli, cooked as per packet instructions; 200g crabmeat, ideally a mix of white and brown meat (optional); 2 tbsp finely chopped chives; 2 spring onions, trimmed and julienned; 2 limes, cut into wedges, to serve; Flaked sea salt; 4 red chillies, deseeded; 180g sweet cherry tomatoes; 10g fresh turmeric root, peeled and finely chopped (or 3-4g of dried turmeric powder); 3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped; 10g fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped; 2 small shallots, peeled and finely chopped; 2 tsp tomato paste; 2½ tbsp soy sauce; 2½ tbsp dark sugar; 2 tsp green (or black) peppercorns, roughly crushed; 20ml lime juice

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 2 servings

The crab works well in this classic Malaysian curry, but you can sub this for prawns, white fish or tofu for a vegan option.

You can make the sauce in bulk for later use, either jarred of frozen.

Tags:

Asian Malaysian Curry Vegan Vegetarian Prawns

Ingredients

60g coconut oil
5 fresh lime leaves (optional - Makrut if you can get them)
170ml tinned coconut cream
100g dried rice vermicelli, cooked as per packet instructions
200g crabmeat, ideally a mix of white and brown meat (optional)
2 tbsp finely chopped chives
2 spring onions, trimmed and julienned
2 limes, cut into wedges, to serve
Flaked sea salt

For the sambal

4 red chillies, deseeded
180g sweet cherry tomatoes
10g fresh turmeric root, peeled and finely chopped (or 3-4g of dried turmeric powder)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
10g fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 small shallots, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp tomato paste
2½ tbsp soy sauce
2½ tbsp dark sugar
2 tsp green (or black) peppercorns, roughly crushed
20ml lime juice

Method

For the sambal

Put all the ingredients for the sambal in the small bowl of a food processor, add a teaspoon of flaked salt and blitz smooth.

Heat the coconut oil in a large sauté pan on a high heat, add the lime leaves and two-thirds of the sambal, and stir-fry for three minutes (careful: it might spit). If you can't get the lime leaves, it's not a show stopper. Add the coconut cream and stir-fry for two minutes more.

Add the cooked noodles, toss to combine, then turn off the heat. Stir in the remaining sambal, the chives and the picked crab. Transfer to a platter, garnish with the spring onion and serve with lime wedges for squeezing on top.