Curry de Crab Sri Lankan
By Chef Sri Lanka (@chef_sri_lanka)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp raw long white rice (I use basmati rice)
- 4 tbsp desiccated coconut (unsweetened) OR freshly grated coconut (¼ cup )
- 1 inch ginger (minced)
- 6 garlic cloves (left whole)
- ½ yellow onion (finely chopped)
- 1 ½ tbsp of unroasted curry powder (recipe below (see notes for substitutes))
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper (I use 1 heaped tsp because we like it extra spicy)
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 6 - 8 curry leaves
- 1 pandan leaf (fresh or dried, about 4 inches in length)
- 2 - 3 fresh red or green chili peppers (or 2 serrano peppers, sliced or slit in half)
- 1.5 cups coconut milk (good quality)
- 6 blue swimmer crabs (cleaned and cut in half (see video in post for cleaning instructions). )
- Salt to taste
- Drumstick leaves (traditional, but optional. you can use cilantro leaves if you like instead (not a flavor substitution))
- Water (as needed)
- 4 tsp whole coriander seeds
- 3 tsp whole cumin seeds
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- 1 ½ tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
Directions
- 1Finely grind all the spices in a spice grinder. Set aside. If you're using roasted curry powder, add another 1 tsp of fennel seeds, ground to a powder (or ½ tsp ground fennel).
- 2Grind the raw rice and coconut until fine (or if using fresh coconut, grind until you have a fine paste). Set aside.
- 3Add about 2 tbsp of coconut oil (or vegetable oil) into a large saucepan (there should be enough space to gently stir the crabs) and heat over medium heat. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, and saute for a few minutes until the onions have softened.
- 4When onions are soft, add the 1 ½ tbsp of the curry powder, cayenne pepper and coconut/rice mix. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes until the spices become fragrant.
- 5Add the tamarind paste, sugar, chili peppers, curry leaves and pandan, and 1 cup of the coconut milk from the can. Add a generous ¼ tsp salt (more can be added after you taste it later). Bring it to a boil.
- 6Place the crabs in this gravy/sauce and gently mix to coat the crabs with the thickened gravy.
- 7Bring it to a boil on medium high heat and then lower the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, until the crabs turn pink and are cooked through. Make sure to turn over/stir the crabs half way through cooking to make sure they are well coated with the gravy while being cooked.
- 8Add extra coconut milk if you prefer it more creamy, or up to ½ cup of water to dilute the gravy. Add salt to taste. Stir through and bring the curry to a simmer.
- 9Add the drumstick leaves or cilantro leaves and stir through while hot.
- 10Serve warm with steamed rice. Enjoy!