I think you're going to love this Sri Lankan crab curry
I recently learned this Sri Lankan crab curry recipe when my wife and I stayed at Cinnamon Hikka Tranz hotel on the west coast of Sri Lanka.
We enjoyed quite a few crab curries while travelling around Sri Lanka and staying at Cinnamon. On this occasion, the crab curry was prepared and demoed by chef Pasan Attanayake and it was out of this world delicious!
Which crab?
Chef Pasan used fresh mud crabs that were caught right off the coast the day he cooked them for us. If you are planning on travelling to Sri Lanka, you've got to try a mud crab curry! Better yet, try one at Cinnamon! You won't be disappointed.
You can use any crab though. I can purchase frozen mud crabs near where I live but prefer to use fresh brown crab as they are local to me. For authenticity, however I used frozen mud crabs this time around.
Working ahead...
This crab curry relies mainly on the quality and freshness of the ingredients used.
It really is easy to throw together. That said, a few things take some time to prepare and you can do this a few days in advance if more convenient.
One thing that is popular in Sri Lankan crab curry and other seafood curries is the use of an unroasted curry powder. This is a simple blend of whole spices that are ground raw rather than toasting them first. This can be done ahead of time. You could even upscale the curry powder recipe as the powder will keep for a good few weeks.
You might also like to toast the rice and coconut mixture which adds a delicious flavour to the crab curry. Again, this can be done a couple of days ahead of cooking too.
Step by step instructions and pictures
Gather all of your ingredients together before getting started. It's easier that way.
Step 1.
Finely grind the ingredients for the curry powder and set aside.
Step 2.
Toast the rice and grated coconut. Although Basmati rice can be used for this, I recommend using matta rice which is much more authentic and will get you a richer and earthier flavour.
Step 3.
Toast the rice and grated coconut until lightly browned. Actually, some of the rice and coconut will blacken some. The flavour is awesome!
Step 4
The finished dry fried rice and coconut. Blend this with enough of the coconut milk to make a smooth paste and set aside. The finished paste is photographed below.
Step 5.
After blending the roasted rice and coconut with the coconut milk it will turn a light grey. It will probably also thicken some as it sits which is fine. Set aside.
Step 6.
Heat the coconut oil over medium high heat. When visibly hot, add the curry leaves and cinnamon stick to infuse in the oil for about 30 seconds.
Step 7.
Add the onions, garlic, ginger and chillies.
Step 8.
Add the chilli powder and curry powder and stir well to combine.
Step 9
Add the crab to the pot.
Step 10
Pour in the remaining coconut milk and bring to a simmer.
Step 11
Add the prepared rice and coconut mixture and stir it in. Continue simmering for about 5 minutes to thicken.
Step 11
Serve up your meal!
In the meantime, watch this video from the day...
Sri Lankan Crab Curry
Ingredients
- Mud Crabs cleaned and cut in half
- FOR THE COCONUT AND RICE MIXTURE
- 2 tbsp raw matta rice
- 4 tbsp (1/4 cup) desiccated coconut or freshly grated coconut
- FOR THE CURRY
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- ½ onion, roughly chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger, minced
- 6 whole garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp unroasted curry powder
- ½ tsp red chilli powder or a bit more to taste
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 2 tsp sugar
- 3 fresh red or green chillies
- 8 curry leaves
- 2 pandan leaves
- 400 ml coconut milk
- Salt to taste
- FOR THE SRI LANKAN CURRY POWDER
- 4 tsp coriander seeds
- 3 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
Instructions
- Finely grind all of the curry powder spices and set aside.
- Heat a large sauce pan or clay pot over medium heat. When hot, add the rice and grated coconut and dry fry until lightly browned and fragrant. Transfer to a pestle and mortar and pound to a fine powder. Set aside
- Add about 2 tbsp coconut oil to a large pan or clay pot. You will need a large enough pot to be able to stir the crabs. Heat the oil over a medium heat.
- Add the onion, ginger and garlic and sauté for a few minutes until the onions have softened.
- Now add the curry powder, chilli powder, and coconut/rice mix. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the spices become fragrant.
- Add the tamarind paste, sugar, chilli peppers, curry leaves and pandan plus ¾ of the coconut milk. Then season with ¼ tsp salt, more can be added later to taste. Bring to a boil.
- Place the crabs in the sauce and gently stir to coat the crabs in the sauce
Bring this back to a boil on medium-high heat then lower the heat to medium . Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the crabs are just cooked through. - Make sure to turn the crabs half way through to ensure they are well coated in the sauce.
- Add extra coconut milk if you prefer it creamier or up to ½ cup water to dilute it if you like.
- Serve warm with steamed rice or bread.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 680Total Fat: 45gSaturated Fat: 39gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 410mgCarbohydrates: 63gFiber: 11gSugar: 34gProtein: 12g
For the record, my wife and I were paying guests at Cinnamon Hotels. We did receive a few free perks such as cooking demos but I was under no obligation to write anything about Cinnamon. We highly recommend Cinnamon Hotels to anyone thinking about travelling around Sri Lanka.
Sean says
Dan,
Do you know if they use refined (tasteless) or unrefined (tastes like coconut) coconut oil in their cooking?
Thanks
Dan Toombs says
I don't know the exact answer but the chefs I watched used virgin coconut oil.
Thanks
Dan