Crabs are so dear to everyone in my family and I’m the odd one out to not eat them. I have tried crab cakes or crab mince but not been able to develop a taste for the typical Malvani Crab Curry as my mother makes it. MDH is a foodie (you already know that by now if you have been reading this blog) and crabs are way way close to his heart (or rather stomach) . I wanted to learn how to cook this curry and after having done so I can proudly claim it turns out quite super – so here is the recipe for you all.

Ingredients:

1 Kg crabs – cleaned and if large have them cut into halves to separate the claws and the main body.

Onions – 6 medium sized fine chopped

Turmeric powder– 2 tea spoons

Ginger Garlic Paste – 2 table spoons

Kala Masala (Black masala) – 4-6 tablespoons depending on how spicy you want to make the curry. My recommendation the spicier the curry the better the taste.  The Kala Masala is a Maharashtrian masala which is easily available in stores and mainly used for all non-veg curries.

Coconut Paste – 3-4 table spoons

Salt to Taste

Preparation:

Clean the crabs well and apply little salt and set them aside.

Heat oil in pan, about 3-4 tablespoons and add finely chopped onions to it. Sauté till the onions are dark brown and the oil begins to ooze out from the sides.

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Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add turmeric powder and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Then add the Kala Masala powder in the given proportion and salt to taste.

Add the crab pieces and mix well. Add  3-4 cups of boiling water and let the curry cook on medium flame.

While the onions are turning dark brown and the crabs are getting cooked – prepare the coconut paste on the side as below.

Roast dry grated coconut – 1 cup till medium brown in a pan and set aside. Then dry roast 1 chopped onion and 1-2 garlic petals in a pan. Roast till the mixture turns light brown. Then grind all 3 ingredients into a thick paste. The paste should be smooth and you should not be able to feel the coconut particles. You can make this paste in bulk and the same is used in chicken/mutton gravies as well as various pulses commonly made in Marathi households.

kajuchi bhaaji

Once the crabs are 3/4th cooked in the curry add the coconut paste (3-4 tablespoons) and let the mixture cook on low flame. Keep stirring the mixture every 10 minutes. Add boiling water depending on how thick/thin curry you wish to have. We prefer thick curry. Crabs take time to cook and let the gravy cook for 20-30 minutes on low flame. Once the colour of the shells of the crab legs turns orange/reddish you know the crabs are done.

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Add little lime juice and garnish the gravy with fresh coriander leaves fine chopped and serve it with Chapattis or what we Maharashtrians love – Tandalachi Bhakri ( Rice Roti)

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Enjoy your crab curry – try it out and let me know how it turned out.