SERVES 3
I think crabs are delicious, but a pain to eat. However, this dish makes the pain worth it. This spicy pepper dry preparation is one of my favorite crab dishes. And it is relatively easy to prepare, once you figure out how to clean and cut the crab, of course. But as you know, there is a YouTube video for everything these days. 😊 This dish can be consumed as is or with steamed rice. For those who are allergic to shellfish, you can replace the crabs with fish or chicken and adjust the cooking times accordingly.
For the spice paste
2 tbsp black peppercorns
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
10 garlic cloves, chopped
1-inch ginger, peeled and chopped
Water, as needed. I used ¼ cup
For cooking the crabs
3 large crabs, cleaned and cut into 2 pieces with the legs separated
2 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil
4 red onions, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, finely chopped
2 green chilies, halved
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp red chili powder
¼ cup water
12 curry leaves
2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
1 scallion stalk, finely sliced (optional)
1 For preparing the spice paste, blend the peppercorns, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, chopped garlic cloves and chopped ginger with the ¼ cup of water to get a fine paste. I usually grind the dry ingredients to a fine powder then add the garlic, ginger and water, and blend further to get a fine paste.
2 In a medium sized pot or pan, heat oil over medium high heat. When the oil is heated, add the onions and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add green chilies and curry leaves and continue to sauté till the onions start turning golden brown. Add the spice paste and mix well. Continue to cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
3 Add salt, turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder and mix well. Add tomatoes and sauté for about 5 minutes until they are soft and cooked.
4 Thoroughly wash the cleaned crabs and add to the pot. Add the water and mix well to coat the crabs with the spice mix. Cover and cook for over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
5 Remove from heat and garnish with chopped cilantro and scallions.
Serve immediately with hot steamed rice.
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