Spicy Crab Noodles

From 'Mexico The Cookbook' by Margarita Carrillo Arronte

This recipe is from some of the Guest Chefs that appear in Mexico The Cookbook; Thomasina Miers OBE. She was crowned the winner of MasterChef back in 2005, before going to be a co-founder of Wahaca; a chain of Mexican 'street-food' restaurants which currently has 13 branches across the UK .

Ingredients:

• 400g vermicelli pasta
• 120ml olive oil
• 4 baby shallots, finely chopped
• 4 serrano chillies, finely chopped
• 400g tinned plum tomatoes
• Pinch of ground allspice
• 2 tbsp baby capers
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and pepper
• Pinch of sugar
• 500ml chicken or fish stock
  • To serve
• 4-5 tbsp sweet chipotle paste
• 300g dressed crab
• Lime wedges
• Sour cream
• Handful of coriander, chopped

Recipe:

1. In a heavy skillet, fry the vermicelli in the olive oil, stirring from time to time, for a few minutes until they turn a rich golden colour.
2. Transfer to a sieve, draining the vermicelli on paper towels and putting the oil back into the pan.
3. Over a medium heat, sweat the shallots and chillies for about 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent and starting to break down.
4. Add the tomatoes, allspice, capers, and bay leaves. Season with salt, pepper, and a good pinch of sugar.
5. Simmer of 15-20 minutes until the flavours develop and you have a rich tomato sauce.
6. About 15 minutes before you are ready to eat, pour the stock into the tomato sauce, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes over a medium-high heat.
7. Stir the noodles into the sauce and simmer gently until the liquid is absorbed and the noodles are tender.
8. Serve on a plate with the crab, a good spoonful of the chipotle paste, wedges of lime, a dollop of sour cream, and lots of coriander.