Is there a cuisine which doesn't have a version of stuffed tomatoes? The filled vegetables are always good but this Thai interpretation is quite different.

Cut the tops off 10 tomatoes and set them aside to be used later as lids. Scoop out the seeds and internal flesh of the tomatoes, leaving the fleshy shell. Lightly salt the interiors and stand the tomatoes upside down in a rack to drain.

Pound in a mortar or process together the well-washed roots of a bunch of coriander, 4 cloves of garlic, 1/2 onion and 10 peppercorns (better use coarsely ground pepper if processing). Remove this mixture to a bowl and add 250 g minced pork, 250 g cooked crab meat (tinned can be used if necessary), 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 tablespoons fish sauce and 1 egg. Mix well rinse out and dry the tomato cases, stuff with the mixture and replace the lids. Bake in a preheated 180 c oven for half an hour.

From "Raw Materials" by Meryl Constance, Sydney Morning Herald, 1/19/93.