Preparation
30 minutes
Cooking
30 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Crab and Water Spinach Soup For 2 – 3 servings
Crab 500 gr Water spinach 1 kg MSG 1 teaspoon Salt 1/2 teaspoon Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Minced onion 2 bulbs Minced garlic 3 cloves
How to choose fresh and meaty crabs
Differentiating between meaty crabs and egg crabs
- Meaty crabs: Usually male crabs. Male crabs have a small belly, not round like female crabs.
- Egg crabs: Usually female crabs. Female crabs have a large, round belly.
Best time to buy
- You should buy crabs at the beginning or the end of the lunar month. Because at this time, the crab meat is the fattiest and firmest.
- Avoid buying in the middle of the lunar month, when the crabs are molting, as their meat will be bland, less in quantity, mushy, and soft, resulting in a poor taste.
Buy crabs of moderate size: In fact, not all large crabs are firm and meaty; rather, the crabs of moderate size, just right for your hand, are the best quality, with plenty of firm and sweet meat.
- Check for fresh crabs: When you pick up a crab, turn it over and press on its chest (do not press on its belly). If the chest sinks, then it is not a good crab. Otherwise, it will be a fresh crab, firm with up to 95% meat. Additionally, you should pay attention to the crab’s belly; if the belly is tight against the body, it means the crab has not spawned much, and the meat is firm.
- It is best to buy green crabs: This type of crab is considered to have firm, fragrant, sweet, and nutritious meat compared to other types. Avoid buying red crabs, spotted crabs, flower crabs, etc., as their meat is not good at all.
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How to Prepare Water Spinach Crab Soup
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Prepare Ingredients
Clean the crab.
Using scissors or a sharp knife, lift the apron under the crab’s belly. Poke straight into the concave part of its belly until its claws and legs stretch out, then remove the ties.
Next, use a brush to scrub and rinse the crab to remove dirt and sand. Cut off the smaller claws, keeping only the two large claws.
Then, remove the apron to make it easier to separate the crab shell and the eggs outside the apron (if any). Carefully peel the shell away from the crab and discard the gray-black lungs on both sides.
Finally, rinse the crab with water until clean and let it drain. Cut each crab in half.
Pick and wash the water spinach, then let it drain.
Tip:
- When you buy crabs, you should start preparing them immediately while they are still alive to keep the meat fresh and sweet.
- When preparing, be careful not to remove the ties from the crab, as live crabs are very strong and their claws can injure your hands.
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Sautéing the Crab
Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the pan, turn the heat to high, wait for the pan to heat up, then add 2 minced shallots and sauté until fragrant.
Add the crab to the pan and stir evenly. When the crab turns slightly red and begins to change color, add 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir-fry until the crab is cooked.
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Cook the soup
Place a pot on the stove, turn the heat to medium, add about 1 liter of water to the pot, when the water is gently boiling, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, then add 3 minced garlic cloves, and season with a little salt to taste.
When the water boils, add the water spinach and stir gently until just cooked, then add the stir-fried crab. Cook for another 5 minutes and it’s done.
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Final product
The crab soup with water spinach is delicious, rich, with the natural sweetness, and the nutritional value of the crab, making the green water spinach very appealing, isn’t it? Enjoy it right away!
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