Recipe for :

Frequently, in the 80's I would host huge oriental dinner parties for our friends. Just as at my first potluck with my husband's friends, I only allowed chopsticks to be used at these parties. I could stand there, with the straightest face, and deny that we had any forks. I also supplied oriental spoons to be used with any soup.

At one party, I served this dish. It has become a favorite with all our friends. Once you try this, it will become one of your favorites also. But I digress from my story.

I served the crab curry and once again, everyone raved about it. It was my habit to cook a dish and sit down at the table and enjoy it with our friends. That way I could have my cake and eat it too, if you know what I mean. Then I would clear what ever dishes were appropiate, from the table and go cook another one. Since the kitchen is so close to the dinning room, I could still participate in the conversations.

After clearing the crab curry from the table and going into the kitchen to start another dish, I was hearing a quiet commotion going on in the dinning room. I had just served Sunomono which is a marinated cucumber salad. When I walked back into the dining room, there was our friend Dan eating the cucumbers using a crab claw as a kind of spoon. My mouth just fell open. As I was looking at him with astonishment all the rest of the guests started laughing. They were glad he had gotten caught. I'm telling you, I wish I had thought of that at that first potluck. Needless to say, in keeping with the theme of the party, I took that crab claw away from him and threw it out. Today, he can use chopsticks with the best of them. So Dan, this one is for you.

It's hard to stop eating this dish once you get your fingers covered with sauce. You may want to pass a basket of hot, damp washcloths at the table when the last bite is gone.

Ingredients 

1 tsp. sugar
4 tsp. curry powder*
1/2 pound lean pork, finely chopped or ground (I use ground)
1 large crab (1/2 to 2 pounds) cleaned, and cracked **
3 tbs.'s salad oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, cut in 1" wedges and layers separated.
1 medium green pepper, seeded and cut into 1" squares
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Method

Cooking Sauce:***

In a bowl, combine 1/2 cups chicken broth and 2 tbs. each of cornstarch, soy sauce, and dry sherry

As with all recipes, it's important to read through all the cooking directions before you start cooking.

Preparing Your Plate:

Take a large plate and arrange the garlic, onion and green pepper, in separate piles on the plate. Beat eggs and place in a small bowl on the plate, I usually take the pork and place it in a small bowl and add the spices to it, place on or near plate. Do the same with the crab pieces. When it is time to add the next ingredient to the wok, just pick up the plate and sweep the desired food item into the wok. This is how oriental food is prepared.

• Prepare cooking sauce and set aside.
• Sprinkle sugar and curry powder over pork, cutting it in with the side of a fork. Mix well.
• Cut crab body in quarters, pull off legs and claws, but leave them whole.
• Heat the wok or wide frying pan over high heat.
• When pan is hot, add oil. When oil begins to heat, add garlic. Stir once around the pan, then add pork and stir fry until the pork loses its pinkness(about 2 minutes).
• Add crab and stir fry for about 5 - 7 minutes.
• Add onions and green peppers to pork and stir fry for 1 minute.
• Stir cooking sauce well and add, stirring until sauce bubbles and thickens.
• Stir in eggs until egg begins to set (about 30 seconds). They will continue cooking as it is served.
• Serve.

For Shrimp curry:

• Follow directions for crab curry, but use 1 pound medium size raw shrimp (shelled and deveined) in the place of the crab.
• Add shrimp to stir fried pork-vegetable mixture; stir fry until shrimp turn pink (about 3 minutes); then add cooking sauce and follow the rest of the recipe.

  *
  For curry powder:
  I like to use McCormick curry powder (mild). To use a hot curry here would destroy the delicate balance of the dish. I was served curry chicken by my mother once and it was so hot no one could eat it. It may have been the only dish served at my mom's house which was thrown out.
  
  **
  To clean crab:
  Remove and discard tail or apron and force upper and lower shells apart. Discard soft ,spongy parts, and any orange lumps you find. This is the fat of the crab and while it is a delicacy in China, I usually discard it. With a nut cracker or hammer, lightly break claws and thigh pieces. They should still stay together when this is done. Discard any white cartilage if it comes off easily. Leave the rest of the cartilage intact with the meat of the crab for you guests to clean.
  
  ***
  If you are making a whole dinner with many bowls of cooking sauces, be sure to cover them and label them so the appropiate sauce is used in the appropiate dish.

Enjoy
Mrs Susie