Malaccan black pepper crab with black beans, ginger, garlic and curry leaves - 9Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1kg raw or cooked whole crabs, such as brown crab, mud crab or blue swimmer
• 1 tablespoon kecap manis
• 1 tablespoon Chinese fermented salted black beans, rinsed and chopped
• 1 teaspoon palm sugar
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 5 spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 25g peeled ginger, finely shredded
• 15g garlic, finely chopped
• 20 curry leaves (about 2 sprigs)
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
• 15g butter
• 1 medium-hot red chilli, halved lengthways and thinly sliced