Ingredients:
Rice Flour – 1/3 cup
Cornflour – 1 tblsp
Sugar – 1/2 tsp
Egg – 1
Cold Water – 4 tblsp
Lemon Grass Stalk – 1, root trimmed
Garlic – 2 cloves, finely chopped
Fresh Coriander – 1 tblsp, chopped
Red Chillies – 1 to 2 fresh, seeded and finely chopped
Thai Fish Sauce – 1 tsp
Vegetable Oil – for deep frying
Crab Claws – 12 half-shelled, thawed if frozen
Black Pepper – ground
For the Chilli Vinegar Dip
Granulated Sugar – 3 tblsp
Water – 1/2 cup
Red Wine Vinegar – 1/2 cup
Thai Fish Sauce – 1 tblsp
Red Chillies – 2 to 4, fresh, seeded and chopped
Method:
1. To make the chilli vinegar dip, Mix the sugar and water in a pan. Heat gently stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, pour into a serving bowl and set aside.
2. Combine the rice flour, cornflour and sugar in a bowl. Beat the egg with the cold water, the stir the egg and water mixture into the flour mixture and beat well until it forms a light batter.
3. Cut off the lower 2 inche of the lemon grass stalk and chop it finely. Add the lemon grass to the batter, with the garlic, coriander, red chillies and fish sauce. Stir in pepper to taste.
4. Heat the oil in a kadai to 190C or until a cube of bread browns in 45 seconds. Dip the crab claws into the batter, then fry in batches until golden. Serve with the dip.
