Ingredients:
-blue crabs
-kaffir/thai lime leaves
-1 tsp tamarind powder (the kind used to make tamarind soup)
-1 tsp sugar
-thai chilies (optional)
-1/3 tsp black pepper
-3 tbs coconut juice or water

What to Do:
Steam crabs over high heat with lime leaves in the steaming water. Mix together tamarind powder, sugar, chillies, pepper and coconut juice to make dipping sauce. Give the sauce a taste all flavor should be even, adjust accordingly. Serve steamed crabs with tamarind sauce.

Comments (13)

On 11:18 PM , ♥ESTEE♥ said...

xin lỗi anh nhé,em chẳng biết send msg ở đâu nên đành hỏi anh trong này vậy.Cái topping cream mà anh dùng để trang trí bánh ý,anh mua ở đâu vậy?em ko tìm được topping cream nên tòan phải dùng whipped cream thôi.Thanks anh nhé.Thứ 6 tuần này em phải làm bánh nên anh trả lời sớm cho em nhé!

 
On 11:29 PM , hoangtam/tt said...

banh' y' la` banh' gi`?

 
On 9:59 PM , ♥ESTEE♥ said...

a`,là hình mấy cái bánh sinh nhật anh chụp trong photostream ấy.Có kem trang trí màu trắng ý.Thanks anh nhiều nhé

 
On 11:39 PM , hoangtam/tt said...

Kem nào cũng có màu trắng cả. Bánh trong hình đều dùng kem khác nhau. Như vậy E hỏi về kem nào....kem bơ, kem tươi, kem đường, v.v...?

 
On 1:02 PM , ♥ESTEE♥ said...

vậy kem tươi vậy :)) anh làm hay anh mua thế? chứ em dùng heavy whipped cream nó vàng muh.

 
On 12:09 AM , hoangtam/tt said...

kem tuoi = whipping cream. mua ve roi danh len tret banh.

 
On 10:18 AM , Anonymous said...

Hi tt,

Do you mean that the lime leaves are in the water in the wok when steaming (i.e. the lime leaves do not even touch the crabs at all)?

 
On 1:00 PM , hoangtam/tt said...

yes

 
On 11:42 PM , BuddingCook said...

i can't wait to try your recipes. i'm vietnamese too but just learning to really cook. :) do you have any cook books you recommend?

 
On 1:46 PM , hoangtam/tt said...

hello budding cook!

what kind cookbooks are you interested in? Baking, cooking, western, asian, etc...

 
On 11:25 AM , BuddingCook said...

oh viet, asian cookbooks :) how did you learn how too cook all these dishes. i'm very impressed.

 
On 2:20 AM , hoangtam/tt said...

BC,

A majority of the Vietnamese cookbooks I find worth looking at are published in Vietnam before the late 1980's. I find that most Vietnamese cookbooks published after the late 80's are really just a copy of the earlier versions under a different author. This is probably because the original authors have probably left the country and the “new” authors need to make a living so they must put shame and integrity aside. I also do not recommend you look into any Vietnamese cookbooks that are published outside VN. IHO, these books lack authenticity, their authors try to “doll up”, water down and westernize the recipes…Vietnamese food should be bold in flavor and big in servings. While the western published books usually tell you to add a hint of that and a touch of this all in an effort to portray Vietnamese food as delicate and exotic.

Anyways when you’re looking for a cookbook for sweets/baked goods, you should go after books that list the ingredients measured by weight preferably in metric. This is because baking is as much a science as much as it is an art, and in order to get acceptable results you need to precisely measure the ingredients by weight. On the other hand, when you’re in the market for cookbooks for savory dishes look for one that’s “interesting”. The measurements shouldn’t matter because savory dishes are much easier to accomplish then baking….you can always adjust the recipe for a savory dish without doing much damage to the final come.

I suggest looking into books by the following authors:
Nguyễn Thị Hường (Gia Chánh Hoa Hường), Bà Quốc Việt (Gia Chánh Quốc Việt), Thanh Vân, Nguyễn Phan Long, Trần Văn Quí, Nguyễn Thu Dung, Nguyễn Thị Phụng


Remember that passion along with creativity are the keys to success. The best way to learn is to create your own path. For me, I only use cookbooks as a reference; if you want to go above and beyond you must learn to "think". Theorize your own recipes using the knowledge you gathered in the cookbooks and have fun testing them out…playing with your food.

 
On 12:08 AM , BuddingCook said...

thank tt for your detailed message! i will try and look for those books. i really enjoy your website btw. :D