Ba khía is a specialty dish of the Western region with a very distinctive salty, sweet, sour, and spicy flavor. Right now, TasteVN will guide you on how to make ba khía mixed with garlic and chili and ba khía papaya salad extremely simply, but the taste is very “addictive.” Let’s get cooking and discover this delicious salad dish right now!
1. Ba khía mixed with garlic and chili
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Preparation
10 minutes
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Cooking
20 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Ba khía mixed with garlic and chili For 4 people
Ba khía 100 gr Garlic 1 bulb Chili 2 fruits Sour starfruit 1 fruit Vietnamese coriander A little Sugar 5 teaspoons Fish sauce 1 teaspoon Lime juice 5 teaspoons (or calamansi)
How to choose fresh and delicious starfruit
- You should choose fresh green starfruit, when pressing on the outer skin, it feels hard, not soft.
- You should choose starfruit with even veins, about the size of a fist, not too big or too small.
- Fresh and delicious starfruit feels heavy in your hand, firm, not infested or having strange dark spots.
- Do not buy overripe starfruit because it will not taste good when making the dish. You should also avoid choosing starfruit with dark spots on the skin, that are soft or leaking water.
How to prepare Ba khía mixed with garlic and chili
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Prepare the ba khía
Buy pre-salted ba khía, wash it clean, soak it in warm water for about 10 minutes, then wash it again with water, and finally drain it in a colander.
Next, mix the ba khía with 5 teaspoons of sugar, then place it in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to absorb the sugar.
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Prepare other ingredients
Wash the starfruit, remove the edges, and cut it into thin slices.
Peel the garlic and chop it finely. Do the same with the chili, chopping it finely.
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Mixed crab
You put crab, 5 teaspoons of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, star fruit, minced garlic, and chili into a bowl, mix well and marinate for about 30 minutes to absorb the spices.
When eating, you cut coriander into small pieces and add it to the crab bowl, mix well and enjoy.
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Finished product
Mixed crab with garlic and chili is best served with rice. The dish has an attractive color from crab, garlic, chili, star fruit, and coriander. The crab is crunchy and blends well with the sour, spicy, salty, and sweet sauce; it’s definitely a dish that will have you exclaiming how delicious it is!
The mixed crab with garlic and chili will taste better when stored in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Papaya salad with crab
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
20 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Papaya Salad with Three Crabs Serves 4 people
Green papaya shredded 1/2 fruit (500gr) Three crabs 100 gr Dried shrimp 30 gr Carrot 1 piece (100gr) Long beans 40 gr Tomato 1 fruit Small eggplant 4 fruits (small type) Garlic 10 gr (peeled) Red chili 2 fruits Vietnamese coriander A little Roasted peanuts 15 gr Palm sugar 50 gr Lime juice 1/2 cup (rice bowl) Fish sauce 1 teaspoon Anchovy paste 30 gr (or 1 teaspoon of fermented fish sauce) Salt/ sugar A little
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose papaya for a delicious salad
- You should choose large but still green papayas; when you touch them, they feel firm, and they are heavy because these papayas have few seeds and thick flesh.
- Fresh and delicious papayas have green stems and still contain sap. It’s best to choose freshly picked duck-billed papayas because their flesh will be crunchy and not soft.
- Avoid buying ripe papayas or those with green skin that are soft, have many black or white spots on the skin, or have wilted or fallen stems.
How to choose fresh string beans
- You should choose string beans that are thin and long because this type tastes sweeter and crunchier than short, thick string beans.
- Good string beans will have bright green skin, a crunchy texture that makes them easy to snap, and when pressed, they feel quite firm.
- You should avoid buying string beans that feel soft and spongy when pressed because these are old beans that will not taste sweet and will not be crunchy.
- Do not buy string beans that are too large or too lush, as they may have been excessively treated with pesticides.
How to choose fresh carrots
- Choose carrots that are straight, have smooth skin, bright color, and feel firm and heavy in your hand.
- Do not choose carrots with bushy tops or thick, wide shoulders. These are usually carrots with large cores, which are not sweet and have fewer nutrients.
- You should also avoid buying carrots that are crooked, dark in color, bruised, or have unusual spots on the skin.
How to prepare Papaya Salad with crab
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Prepare the crab
Buy pre-salted crabs, then wash them clean, briefly blanch them in warm water and let them drain.
Next, add 1 spoon of sugar to the crabs and mix well. Then, place the crabs in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to allow them to absorb the sugar.
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Prepare other ingredients
First, for the papaya and carrot, peel them, wash them clean, then shred or cut them into thin strips. After shredding, soak the papaya and carrot in ice water to make them crispy.
Next, wash the green beans clean, then cut them into pieces about 5cm long.
Soak the dried shrimp in warm water for about 15 minutes until soft, then drain. After that, put the dried shrimp in a pan and roast them briefly until they firm up.
Prepare a bowl of diluted salt water, then slice the eggplant thinly and soak it in the salt water to reduce the bitterness.
Remove the seeds from the tomatoes and cut them into bite-sized cubes.
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Make the sauce
Add 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of shrimp paste, 50g of palm sugar, and 1/2 cup of calamansi juice into a bowl, then stir well until the mixture is dissolved.
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Mix the three crabs
Add the chili and garlic into a large mortar and pound them finely first. Then, add the green beans, eggplant, and prepared tomatoes and pound them until crushed but not finely ground.
Next, add the papaya, carrot, three crabs, dried shrimp, and sauce into the mortar, and mix while pounding evenly to absorb the flavors.
Finally, serve the salad on a plate, then cut the Vietnamese coriander and cilantro to place on top, sprinkle with roasted peanuts for decoration, and it’s done.
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Final Product
Papaya salad with crab has a variety of vibrant colors that are extremely eye-catching. The salad is evenly soaked in sweet and sour sauce, spicy, with papaya, long beans, carrots, and crispy cucumbers, keeping its freshness, salty crab, peanuts, and chewy dried shrimp. All of these create a dish that is extremely stimulating to the taste buds.
How to choose fresh, meaty crab
- Choose large ones with firm meat, especially those that are still carrying eggs. This type will be fragrant and rich when eaten.
- When buying, you can break the legs of the crab to check. If you see plump meat, white in color, not turning brown or hollow, then the crab is fresh and delicious.
- The best time for crabs is during the rainy season (around the 8th – 10th lunar month). You should buy crabs in season to ensure quality.
- Female crabs are tastier than male crabs as they often have roe. It’s very simple to identify female crabs because they have a large apron.
- Do not buy those that have turned pale, have a strange smell, hollow legs, or lack meat.
TasteVN just guided you 2 ways to mix and make Southern crab salad that are delicious, with rich flavors, and extremely simple. Quickly note down the recipe to showcase your skills! Wishing you success!
