Sri Lankan Treat

Rick Stein’s Coconut Chilli Crab

This recipe is from “Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey”. He came across it in a little dark steamy Sri Lankan restaurant. Rick writes that the chefs were preparing the dish with enthusiasm, even though the temperature was over 40 degrees.  

I have made this recipe several times with crab but this time used lobster just as successfully. The crab is delicious but the lobster is a bit easier to eat.

This dish is not for the faint hearted. It is very messy to eat and the effort is well rewarded. The sweet meat that is hidden in the legs and the head of the crab or lobster takes time and perseverance.  Once you overcome these difficulties, this dish is amazing.

My favourite thing about this dish is that when you add the cinnamon and ginger to the pan they become very aromatic and fill the house with their delicious scent.  Every time you add a new ingredient the colour and smell of the curry evolves becoming richer and more fragrant.

Coconut Chilli Crab

Kakuluwo uyala

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1.8kg Asian blue swimming crabs or 2 x 900g brown crabs live or cooked, prepared and cut into chunks

3 tbsp vegetable oil

10cm cinnamon stick, broken into smaller pieces

½ tsp fenugreek seeds

200g onions or shallots, finely chopped

50g garlic, crushed

50g peeled ginger, finely grated

½ tsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder

2 tbsp Roasted Sri Lankan curry powder

150g chopped tomato, fresh or from a can

1 litre coconut milk

10-12 curry leaves

2 green cayenne chillies slit open length ways

25g finely grated coconut

1 tbsp uncooked rice

1tbsp lime juice

Heat the oil in a large, deep pan. Add the cinnamon pieces and fenugreek seeds and leave them to sizzle for a few seconds, then add the onion and cook for 5-6 minutes until lightly golden. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes. Add the turmeric, chilli powder and curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and fry for 1-2 minutes until they begin to soften, then add the coconut milk, curry leaves, chillies and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a simmer. Leave to simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a dry, heavy based frying pan over medium heat. Add the coconut and cook, stirring constanly, until golden brown. Set aside on a plate to cool. Repeat the process with the uncooked rice. When both are cool tip them into a mortar and pestle and grind to a fine powder.

Add the crab pieces to the curry sauce, bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes, turning the pieces over now and then so that they cook evenly. To serve, lift the crabs into a large, warmed serving bowl. Stir in the roasted coconut and rice powder into the sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes until thickened. Stir in the lime juice, pour back over the crab and serve.

“Rick stein’s far eastern odyssey”