Cua rang me is crab fried and then tossed in a tamarind sauce until the sauce sticks to it. It’s a popular dish in Vietnam, good with bread or boiled rice. Choose fresh crab for it. Crab is quite cheap in Vietnam, especially in season. Ingredients 3 big fresh crabs 1 fresh tamarind (100 g) Fish sauce, salt, sugar Chilli powder Spring onion, sliced 2–3 teaspoons oil Boiled water Pepper How to make cua rang me 1. Fry the crab Clean the crabs carefully and cut them in half. Do not throw anything from the crabs away, especially their eggs. Heat the oil (2–3 teaspoons) and fry the crab over high heat until it turns yellow. Lift it onto a plate lined with paper napkins to absorb the excess oil. 2. Make the tamarind water Mix the tamarind well with a little boiled water. Strain it to get the tamarind water and throw away the seeds. 3. Cook the sauce This is the important step. Pour in the tamarind water from step 2 and add sugar, salt and fish sauce, seasoning until the sauce has a little sweet and sour flavour. Cook until the sauce becomes thick, then add the chilli powder and sliced spring onion. 4. Toss the crab in the sauce Add the fried crab from step 1 to the sauce from step 3. Stir well and gently until the sauce sticks around the crabs. Turn off the heat and add pepper. The author usually eats it with bread (bánh mì), and suggests eating it while it’s hot. Share: