Kdam char trosok .
( Stir fry crab with cucumber)

Seafood is abundant in Kampuchea Krom where the poor eat mainly fresh seafood. Back home, we use fresh live Dungeon crab for this recipe but where I live Dungeon crab is very expensive and sold either frozen or pre-cooked, which taste not good as fresh Dungeon crab when stir-fry.
Stir-fry crab with cucumber, tomato, bell pepper and spicy sauce is one of Khmer Krom men favorite appetizers (mahope sar). I use fresh Maryland blue crab for this recipe.
• Ingredients :
  • 1 Dungeon crab or 3 Maryland blue crab
  • ½ Cup water
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 Teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon corn starch
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 Cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Yellow onion, sliced
  • 1 Cucumber, peeled and sliced
  • 1 Bell pepper, removed seeds and sliced
  • 4 Chopped chili pepper or to your taste (option)
  • 1 Tomato, cut chunks
  • 2 Stalks green onion, cut ½ inch in length
  • ¼ Teaspoon black pepper
• Procedures :
  Scrubs and clean crab before removes the top shells. Removes crab’s roe from top shell and body, and put it in a small bowl, set a side. Removes crab’s big claws from it body then cut it body into half, set a side.
  In a small bowl, mix water with sugar, fish sauce,soy sauce, vinegar, and cornstarch together, mix well and set a side.
  Pre-heat a wok or skillet on high temperature.
  When skillet is hot, add oil, garlic, yellow onion and crab, stirs well till crab turns darker color pink, add crab’s roe, stirs well.
  Add cucumber, bell pepper, chili pepper and tomato, stirs, pour prepared cornstarch sauce over and stirs well till sauce thicken.
  Add green onion and sprinkles with black pepper before serve.
  Serve hot as mahope-sar (appetizer) or with rice.