Malabar is a land of great sea food  recipes. It’s the northern part of Kerala which is rich in sea food cuisines and fish from backwaters as well as Arabian sea !I am currently living in Jammu where fresh seafood is available only in my dreams. My hubby , seeing my depressed state without sea food , got me around 10 kgs of sea food items from Delhi on his return flight. How he got it packed and delivered safely to my kitchen is another story which is kinda romantic too!  😉  Now I have lovely prawns, mackerels and anchovies in my freezer.Guess who is the happiest woman on earth today!!!   😀
I decided to cook some crabs at the first go. This is an easy roast which left us licking the fingers . here I’ve added pictures of step by step method to create this great yet simple dish in your kitchen.
Recipe
Serves 4
Cooking time 20 minutes
Cuisine South Indian/Kerala/Malabar
Ingredients
Medium sized crabs                               – 5      (around 1 kg)
Turmeric powder                                  – 1 teaspoon
Kashmiri red chilli powder                         – 1 table spoon
Coriander powder                                  – 1 table spoon
Black pepper powder                               – 1 table spoon
cumin seeds                                       -1 teaspoon
Fennel seeds                                       – 1 teaspoon
Grated coconut                                     – 1/2 a coconut
Ginger crushed                                      – 2 inch
curry leaves                                         – 4 strands
coconut oil                                          – 4 table spoon
Elaichi powder                                      – 1/2 table spoon
Sugar                                               -a pinch
salt                                                 -to taste
- Cut the crab into pieces. Marinate the pieces in turmeric, red chilli , coriander and black pepper powders for 30 minutes.
2.Now heat some oil in a wok, and add roasted coconut, cumin and saunf to it. Roast until the coconut turns brown. Add some water  and crushed ginger to this and grind to a smooth paste using mixie.
3. Add the marinated crab into a wok and cook on high flame for 5 minutes. Add additional water only if required. Crabs lose some water from it’s body while marination. Never waste that water as it is very essential for the flavor.
4. Once the crab colour changes, be sure that the meat is cooked. Now add the ground masala to it and mix gently. Add salt as per your taste and cover and cook for the next 3 minutes. Now open the lid and and mix gently on high flame to give it a roasted finish.Add elaichi powder and a pinch of sugar at this stage.Add curry leaves and 3 table spoons of oil (preferably coconut oil) and keep roasting for 2 more minutes. Be gentle do not spoil the crab meat by vigorous ladle movements.
5. Switch off the flame when the gravy is completely dry. Serve hot with rice. Enjoy! 🙂
2 replies on “Malabar Crab Roast -Kerala seafood delicasy-Step by step method”
I can smell the wonderful spices and toasted coconut even from the photo! Such a wonderful recipe! 🙂
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Roasted coconut aroma is divine Ronit! Even I am crazy about it. Glad you liked my recipe! Thanks a ton! 🙂
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