Crab Xec-Xec - Crab in Coconut Curry

Crab Xec-Xec (Crab in Coconut Curry)

Nothing beats a spicy, well-balanced crab curry. This one has all the makings of a ‘must-try’ dish.

Ingredients:

9-10 medium sized crabs, cleaned n big claws separated

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste

8 tablespoons oil

16 cloves

20 black peppercorns

2 two-inch stick cinnamon

4 tablespoons coriander seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

20 dry red Kashmiri chilies 

3  cups freshly grated coconut

2 large onions, finely chopped

2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

2 teaspoons lime juice

4 tablespoons coriander leaves, finely chopped

Salt, to taste

Method:

1. Marinate the crabs in a mixture of turmeric powder, salt and ginger-garlic paste for twenty to thirty minutes.
2. Heat four tablespoons of oil in a pan and stir-fry the cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and red chilies. Remove and keep aside.
3. In the same pan roast the coconut till it changes to a slightly darker shade. Remove from stove and keep aside.
4. Grind the roasted cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and red chilies.
5. Add the coconut to the ground spices and grind with one cup of water to a fine paste.
6. Heat four tablespoons of oil in a separate pan; add the onions and sauté till it changes color. Add the tomatoes and cook till soft. Add the ground paste, add water (desired consistency) and bring to a boil.
7. Add the crabs and salt and cook for about 10-20 minutes or till crabs are done (that will depend on the size of the crabs). Add the lime juice and simmer for a minute more.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice, pau or any other Indian bread.

Chef Notes: 

1. I usually substitute lime juice with tamarind pulp.
2. Please do not overcook the crabs. The mushy flesh will taste awful.
3. I used 40 chilies instead of the specified 20 as i prefer my curries really spicy. Please adjust the chilies depending on your tolerance of spice level.
4. This recipe is courtesy Deepa Suhas Awchat. 
5. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.