From Blaine's Menu

Makes ¾ cup/170 ml

Ingredients:

½ cup/120 ml fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons (packed)/60 g grated palm sugar
1 tablespoon/15 ml Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
2 tablespoons/10 g finely chopped shallot
1 teaspoon/about 2.5 g very finely chopped seeded fresh green jalapeno chili
1 teaspoon/about 2.5 g very finely chopped seeded fresh red jalapeno chili
Assorted steamed dim sum

Method:

Combine the lime juice, palm sugar and fish sauce in a medium bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves.

Stir in the shallot and the green and red chilies. Serve with steamed dim sum.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Two 2-pound/ 900-g live Dungeness crabs
1 tablespoon/15 ml olive oil
2 shallots, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced 
1 small red jalapeno chili, finely chopped
1 tablespoon/10 g finely chopped or grated peeled fresh ginger
1/3 cup/75 ml Chinese Shaoxing rice wine
3 tablespoons/45 ml rice vinegar
2 tablespoons/30 ml reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon/15 ml sweet chili sauce
1 tablespoon/15 g granulated sugar
Fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish

Method:

To prepare the crabs:

To kill the crabs humanely, place them in the freezer for 2 hours. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.

Once the crabs are no longer moving, plunge them into the boiling water for about 60 seconds or just until the crab shells begin to turn red. Remove the crabs from the water and set them on a baking sheet to cool. 

Remove the legs and claws and lightly tap with the back of a knife to crack the body shell. Remove the top shell from the crab bodies and clean the insides with your fingers. Using a large sharp knife, cut the main body of the crabs into 4 pieces.

To cook the crabs and serve:

Place a large sauté pan or wok over a medium to high heat. Drizzle the olive oil over the wok. Add the shallots, garlic, chili and ginger and stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant.

Add all the crab pieces and stir for 5 minutes. Add the Chinese rice wine and stir for a further 3 minutes or until the wine is reduced by half. Combine the vinegar, soy sauce, sweet chili and sugar in a small bowl. Drizzle the soy mixture over the crabs.

Toss to combine and cook for a further 2 minutes or until the crab meat is cooked through. Remove the wok from the heat and transfer the crab pieces to a serving platter. Spoon the sauce over the crab.

Garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs and serve. Crab should be eaten with your hands, so you will need finger bowls, claw crackers and picks. Bibs may also come in handy since this one can get rather messy!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the caramel sauce:
1/2 cup/105 g granulated sugar
1/4 cup/55 ml water
1 cup/235 ml unsweetened heavy coconut cream

For the pineapple:
2/3 cup/50 g freshly shredded coconut
1 pineapple, peeled, cored, cut into twenty 1-inch/2.5-cm cubes
1 tablespoon/15 ml unsalted butter, melted

Method:

To make the caramel sauce:

Stir the sugar and water in a heavy based small sauce pan over a medium heat for about 2 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Simmer the melted sugar without stirring for about 8 minutes or until it becomes golden brown, wiping down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to remove any sugar crystals and swirling the pan occasionally.

Once the sugar has turned golden brown, add the coconut cream and stir to blend (the mixture will bubble vigorously when the cream is added). Simmer over a medium to low heat for about 3 minutes or until the caramel melts and the sauce thickens slightly. Remove the coconut caramel sauce from the heat and pour it into a serving bowl.

To toast the shredded coconut:

Preheat the broiler to low heat. Sprinkle the coconut evenly over a baking sheet.  Broil the coconut for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until it is lightly golden.  

Watch the coconut closely while it broils to ensure it does not burn since it will cook quite quickly. Transfer the toasted coconut to a plate.

To cook the pineapple skewers:

Thread 1 piece of pineapple on the end of each skewer, making 20 skewers. Heat a cast iron grill pan over medium to high heat until it is very hot.

Brush the pan with a little melted butter and grill the pineapple for 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until it is heated through and grill marks appear. Remove the pineapple skewers from the pan and place them on a serving platter.

Serve the pineapple skewers with the caramel sauce and toasted coconut alongside. The skewers are designed to be dipped into the caramel sauce and then into the toasted coconut.