Crab Curry Recipe

I like cooking crabs. My mom cooks crabs with lots of perfection. It took lot of practise for cleaning and cooking crabs. I modified my mom’s recipe. This is spicy gravy goes well with rice, served with rasam. Fresh crabs are best for cooking. I start to clean crabs when the gravy is half way, my mom often says that shouldn't keep cleaned crabs for long time.

I prefer cooking sea foods in earthen pot/ Manchatti. Earthen pots have unbelievable benefits. Heat and moisture circulate through the pot during cooking, unlike with metal or enamel-lined pots. Moreover that earthy taste and aroma is unmatchable. Cooking in clay pots is said to give you all the calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, sulphur and several other compounds that our body. Clay pots are also alkaline in nature so they mix well with acidic food to perfectly balance out the PH level of what you cook making it healthier.

Its up to you to use earthen pots. You can cook this recipe in any heavy bottomed pot. This is spicy gravy with freshly grounded paste and spice powders. If you feel, cant take so much spiciness. You can reduce the spice powders according to your taste. Crabs need to be cooked in spicy gravy. Crab is basically seafood with mild sweetness.

Cooking Time : 30-45 minutes

Serves : 3

Ingredients :

Crab - 2 nos (Big crab)

Dry Red Chilli - 4 nos

Bay Leaf - 2 nos

Cinnamon Stick - 1 no

Star Anise - 2 no

Green cardamom - 2 no

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

Chopped onion - 1 no

Ginger slice - 1 inch

Garlic - 3 nos

Chopped ginger and garlic - 2 tsp

Chopped Tomato - 1 no

Green chilly - 4 nos

Grated Coconut - 2 tsp

Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tsp

Chilly powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander Powder - 2 tsp

Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp

Curry Leaves - 2 string

Coconut Oil - 4 tsp

Salt for taste

For Roasted Paste :

In a pan, add 1 tsp of coconut oil and add cumin and fennel seeds
Add half of chopped onions
Add ginger and garlic, and roast for couple of minutes
Add dry red chilly and aroma spices ( Bay leaf, cinnamon stick, green cardamom, star anise)
Add green chilly and roast in low flame
After 2 minutes, add coriander leaves and grated coconut
Roast till coconut changes to brown color
Cook down this and grind into fine paste with little water

For Crab Curry :

In a manchatti, add remaining coconut oil
Add chopped ginger and garlic, and curry leaves
Add remaining chopped onion and fry till soft
Add chopped tomato and fry in low flame
Once the tomato mashes well, and oil will start to separate. Now add the grounded paste and mix well
After 2 minutes, add chilly powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder.
Cook this base gravy for 5 minutes till the raw smell disappears
Add water required for the gravy (1/4 Cup is enough)
Add cleaned crabs and cover the manchatti with a lid and cook for 10 minutes
Blue crab will change to red colour
Add chopped coriander and serve hot with rice