A Ping

Ingredients

Main

• 12whole tarantulas, prepared and cleaned
• 1 headof garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoonsalt
• 1 teaspoonsugar
• 1 teaspoonMSG or a crumbled stock cube

To fry

• oil, for deep frying

To serve

• lime wedges
• black pepper and lime dipping sauce
• sliced cucumber

Directions

1. Drain them thoroughly and pat them dry. Wet spiders spit violently in hot oil.
2. Crush the garlic into a rough paste. Mix it with the salt, sugar and MSG. Rub that mixture over each spider. Work it into the legs and the body.
3. Let them sit for fifteen minutes. Frying them is quick and needs hot oil. Pour oil into a wok to a depth of six centimetres. Never fill a wok more than halfway with oil.
4. Heat the oil up to about 180C. Stand back and use long tongs. Fry them for four or five minutes.
5. Turn them over as they colour. They should turn a deep reddish brown. Cook them right through fully. Lift them out onto a wire rack.
6. Let all of the oil drain away. Fry the crushed garlic in the same oil briefly.
7. Scatter that fried garlic over them. Serving them is always done hot. Pile them onto a plate or into paper. Serve fresh lime wedges alongside. They keep a day but lose their crispness.

Technique

• Skuon in Kampong Cham province is the centre of the trade and the spiders are sold to travellers passing through.
• The spider eaten is a large burrowing tarantula gathered from the surrounding forest.

Substitutions

• There is no substitute for the spiders themselves.
• Other fried insects, including crickets and silkworm pupae, are sold at the same stalls and are prepared similarly.

Variations

• Some vendors fry them with more sugar for a sweeter, glossier finish.
• A version with chilli in the seasoning is also sold.
• Crickets, water beetles and silkworms are all fried the same way.

History

Sold at Skuon in Kampong Cham, where eating spiders is said to date from the food shortages of the Khmer Rouge years and became a local trade.

Frequently asked questions

What is A Ping?

A Ping is a snack from Cambodia: whole tarantulas fried with garlic and salt until crisp outside and soft inside. Sold at Skuon in Kampong Cham, where eating spiders is said to date from the food shortages of the Khmer Rouge years and became a local trade.

How long does A Ping take to make?

A Ping takes 20 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4 as a snack. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in A Ping?

Yes, within limits. There is no substitute for the spiders themselves. Other fried insects, including crickets and silkworm pupae, are sold at the same stalls and are prepared similarly.

What is the most important thing to get right in A Ping?

Let them sit for fifteen minutes. Frying them is quick and needs hot oil. Pour oil into a wok to a depth of six centimetres. Never fill a wok more than halfway with oil.