Goan Crab Curry

 

Serves 4

At Eat Drink Talk we occasionally have a South Indian cooking class where we make this delicious and aromatic coconut milk curry. If the idea of tackling live crabs at home is a little too much for you, it also tastes delicious made with prawns or monkfish.

I once received a scathing and vicious email from a woman who came to one of my classes saying that this curry was ‘bland and tasteless’. It isn’t – but if you are used to the pungent and screaming curries of your local takeaway, this curry will seem more gentle and delicate in comparison.

Ingredients

2 live medium-sized crabs, approximately 600 grams each
70 grams tamarind pulp
250 mls boiling water
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted
3 cloves of garlic, minced
a 3 inch piece of ginger root, peeled and roughly chopped
2 red chilies, seeded and minced
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
200 mls coconut milk
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

To kill and clean raw crabs, put them in a large bowl and cover with ice water for about 5 minutes to calm them. Remove a crab (it is better to do this one at a time) and place it belly side up on a chopping board. You may want to wear gloves or finger protection if the claws are not banded.

Find the point just above the top point of triangular belly flap. Place a sharp knife tip or a metal skewer over this point. Working quickly, press sharply downwards to pierce the crab's shell and insert the knife or skewer into the crab. Leave the knife or skewer in for a count of approximately 10 seconds. The crab will die nearly instantly. Remove the knife or skewer and tear off the triangular belly flap by twisting it sideways until it snaps off.

Place the crab face down and strike the base of the crab's top shell or 'lid' forcefully a few times with the base of your palm until you hear the cracking of the top shell loosening. Remove the top shell and discard it along with the feathery gills.

Rinse away any orange and yellow spongy material (these are the eggs and fat deposits) with your fingers under cold running water. Chop the bodies in half or in quarters depending on the size of your crabs. Snap off the claws and crack them by smashing them a few times with the side of a cleaver.

Place the tamarind paste in a bowl and pour over the boiling water. Leave the tamarind to soak for 20 minutes, then strain into a bowl reserving all the liquid. Discard the tamarind fibres and seeds.

While the tamarind is soaking, make the spice paste by pounding the cumin and coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle to a fine powder. Add the garlic, ginger and chilies and continue to pound for several minutes until you have a smooth paste.

Heat the oil in a large, wide sauté pan on medium heat and add the onions. Sauté the onions for 4-5 minutes or until soft, then add the paste. Reduce the heat slightly and sauté for a further 3-4 minutes  or until the paste is fragrant.

Add the tamarind soaking liquid and coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Add the crabs  and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the crab is cooked through.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

Jennifer Klinec from Eat Drink Talk has kindly agreed to provide Urban Junkies readers with mouthwatering recipes and foodtips.

To learn more, classes at Eat Drink Talk are held in Jennifer's beautiful loft in Clerkenwell, packed with information and useful tips, and you'll get to sample all of the delicious dishes prepared during class.

 

by JK

In collaboration with Eat Drink Talk

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Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.