Australian Gourmet Traveller - (12)December 2019 (1)

1 live mud crab (about 1.5kg)

60 ml (¼ cup) canola oil

1 tsp brown mustard seeds

1 onion, finely diced

40 gm ginger, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

15 curry leaves

30 gm (¼ cup) Indian-style

hot curry powder (see note)

250 ml (1 cup) fish or

vegetable stock

1 To kill the crab humanely,

place crab in freezer to render

insensible (30-40 minutes).

Place crab upside-down on

a board and kill instantly by

inserting a long pointed knife

into the head between the eyes

and into the hole above the tail

flap (see cook’s notes p176). Cut

crab in half through the body

using a cleaver or heavy-bladed

knife. Lift the tail, pull away from

the belly, then turn crab over

and remove top shell on both

halves (reserve for serving).

Pull away the long grey gills

(dead man’s fingers) and

discard. Remove large claws

with a cleaver or heavy-bladed

Grandma’s Fijian mud crab curry

SERVES 4ƒ6 AS PART OF A BANQUET // PREP TIME 30 MINS // COOK 15 MINS ”PLUS FREEZING˜

“I have such fond memories of growing up beside my Fijian

grandmother in her kitchen,” says Tikaram. “This dish is a special

part of my life and career. Fresh mud crabs are so unique and

meaty; they’re perfect as a curry, their beautiful flavours infused

with spices and aromas.” Pictured p109.

4 Lebanese cucumbers, seeds

removed, thinly sliced

lengthways into 6cm strips

200 gm snow peas,

cut into julienne

100 gm enoki mushrooms,

stems separated

1 long red chilli,

cut into julienne

1 tsp roasted white

sesame seeds

1 tsp roasted black

sesame seeds

10 sheets crisp nori snacks

(5gm pack; see note)

SESAME DRESSING

60 ml (¼ cup) white vinegar

60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

25 ml soy sauce

1 tbsp caster sugar

1 For sesame dressing, whisk

ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

2 Combine cucumber and

snow peas with remaining

Cucumber and snow pea salad

SERVES 4ƒ6 AS PART OF A BANQUET // PREP TIME 20 MINS

“A refreshing salad to add to a shared meal, this is also an awesome

little snack by itself,” says Tikaram. “Any dressing left over is also

great used as a dipping sauce for fried seafood.” Pictured p108.

ingredients (except sesame

seeds and nori snacks) in a

bowl and dress generously with

sesame dressing (about 125ml;

you’ll have some left over).

Serve sprinkled with crumbled

crisp nori and roasted white

and black sesame seeds.

Note Crisp nori snacks are

available from Korean and larger

Asian supermarkets. They’re

great on their own or sprinkled

over salads or raw dishes.

knife, then cut each body half

into 2 pieces. Using the back of

the knife, crack claws to allow

the flavours to infuse and crab

to cook quickly and evenly.

2 Heat oil in a large saucepan

or wok over medium-high heat.

Add mustard seeds and stir until

they begin to pop (30 seconds

to 1 minute). Add, onion, ginger,

garlic, curry leaves and 2 tsp

sea salt, and stir until onion is

tender (3-4 minutes). Sprinkle

in curry powder and cook until

aromatic (2-3 minutes).

3 Add crab and stir to coat.

Add stock and bring to the boil,

then reduce heat to medium

and simmer until crab is just

cooked and liquid thickens

(6-7 minutes). Serve crab curry

in a large bowl topped with

reserved shells.

Note Indian-style hot curry

powder (Madras curry powder)

is available from Indian grocers

and select supermarkets.

Wine suggestion 2018

Murdoch Hill Pinot Noir

from the Adelaide Hills, SA.

PHOTOGRAPHY BEN DEARNLEY. ALL PROPS STYLIST’S OWN.

“That we could come to

Brisbane, which has

grown into this amazing

food city, and be close

to where we grew up,

means we have the

best of both worlds.”