South
Indian crab curry sure to leave tastebuds longing for more
Published: May 06,201806:30 AM by
Chef RamaaShanker
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Nagapattinam
always brings to my mind, my friend Susan George’s home near the sea. The beautiful cottage surrounded by
greenery, a kitchen garden growing all kinds of greens and vegetables and the
wooden gate, which opens out to a path that leads to the beach. A summer
holiday spent there has made a lasting impression on my mind, especially when
it comes to the seafood I ate.
Spicy South Indian (Nagapattinam)
crab and eggplant curry; Insert: Chef RamaaShanker
Chennai:
Her aunt, old yet agile, gave off
great positive vibes; she loves feeding people and cooks with a whole lot of
love. She told us stories about times when food was cooked over firewood in
earthen pots, emitting a delicious aroma of smoke and wood. The flavours were
enhanced by this method of cooking and utensils used. I remember Roger Binny,
an ex-cricketer and old friend, who was her first cousin and who loved the
crabs she made. There is a predominant preference for seafood in Nagapattinam
as they get fresh catch every day.
Seafood tends to marry well with
certain vegetables like, eggplant, drumstick, shallots, potatoes. The recipe
mentioned here has been handed down five generations and hence is preserved as
a sacred offering. Aunty, as we fondly call her, cooked with love and prayers
and hence it was greatly energised.
So after a day on the beach, horsing
around in the sea and letting the sun wake up our thirst and hunger pangs, we
trotted back to ‘Paradise Cottage’ and sat at the old teakwood table ready for
lunch. Jugs of cold lemonade were kept ready and then the surprise menu was
presented with flourish. Even though I am a vegetarian, with special food
cooked for me, just seeing the enthusiasm with which others, especially, Roger,
attacked the crabs, had me wondering if I should try it out. She taught us a
few thumb rules about buying and cooking crabs.
- When buying fresh crabs, it is
best to consume them as soon as possible, preferably on the same day as
they do not last long.
- To differentiate between the
male and female of the species, turn the crabs onto their backs: male
crabs have an isosceles triangle on their underside while female crabs
have a right-angled triangle.
- Female crabs caught a few days
post full moon will tend to have yellow roe.
- Crabs caught during new moon or
the waxing crescent will tend to be softer.
- Crabs need to be caught live
before being cooked for best results.
In Nagapattinam, there are a lot of
Indian restaurants that serve authentic crab curry, but nothing beats the joy
of devouring homemade crab curry that you can really enjoy best by digging in
with both hands in the privacy of home!
The blue swimmer crab curry ( nandukozhambu
) with eggplant is something to be savoured. Below is the recipe for this
ultimate comfort food.
SPICY SOUTH INDIAN (NAGAPATTINAM)
CRAB AND EGGPLANT CURRY
- PREP TIME: 30 MINS
- COOKING TIME: 30 MINS
- SERVES: 6
- CALORIES PER: 1 CUP HAS 290 CALORIES
INGREDIENTS:
½ kg crabs; large (washed and
cleaned well) | 2 red tomatoes | 2 red onion | 1 tspchilli powder | 3 whole red
chillies | grated coconut ¾ cup | 1 tbsp coriander seeds | 1 ½ tsp cumin seeds
| 1 tsp whole black pepper | 1 ½ tsp fennel seeds | 1 tsp mustard | 1 stick of
cinnamon | 1 star anise | 2 cloves | 1-2 large green chillies | 3 tbsp coconut
oil | 100mg long eggplant (sliced down the middle, keep stalks on) | 1 cup
water | 1 cup coconut milk | 2 sprigs curry leaves | a small bunch coriander
leaves | ½ tspasafoetida | 1 tbsp ginger/garlic paste | Salt to taste | ½ cup
freshly grated coconut
METHOD:
- Wash and clean the crabs well.
You have to remove the upper shell of the crab, and pick off the gills and
discard them. Wash the crab under running water gently (if there is any
roe make sure not to discard it). Now chop off the claws and lay the crab
stomach down and chop the body into quarters (keeping the little legs
attached).
- Finely slice onions and roughly
chop tomatoes and keep side.
- In a deep-bottomed pan add 1
spoon oil and fry the dry fennel, cumin, coriander, red chillies, mustard
seeds, star anise, cloves, fennel, cinnamon, pepper as well asafoetida
until fragrant.
- Grind this into a smooth paste
after it cools and keep aside.
- Grind the tomatoes and keep
aside.
- Grind the grated coconut with
one green chilli and keep aside.
- Now place a mud pot or metal
pan on the fire and add 2 tbsp oil.
- When hot, add curry leaves,
onion and ginger-garlic paste and fry until it changes colour to light
brown.
- Now add the tomato paste and
sauté for four minutes.
- Now add the ground masala
,chilli powder and salt and again fry well.
- You can add the ground coconut
also.
- Add eggplant and mix well.
- Now add the cleaned, washed and
chopped crabs.
- Add 1 cup water (you can add a
little bit more water as and when needed).
- Add the coconut milk.
- Cover the pan with a lid and
let the curry boil until the crabs are cooked (about 15 minutes), stirring
once in a while.
- Just before removing from the
heat add the rest of the curry leaves and coriander leaves and give it a
quick stir
- Add ¼ spoon of coconut oil on
top.
- The delicious crab curry is
ready serve with rice, idli or dosai.
KITCHEN TIP:
- Keep a separate pan to cook your
sea food, as the smell lingers even when washed well.
- Wash your hands with lemon
juice to remove any smell or itching.
— The writer is a chef and author of
Festive Offerings to the Gods
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