SPICY MASALA CRAB

SPICY MASALA CRAB

SPICY MASALA CRAB

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

Mud crab- 4 pieces

Ginger paste- 0ne tablespoon

Garlic paste - 10- 12 cloves

Green chilli paste- one tsp or more

Onion paste- 2 tablesp

Onion ( finely chopped)- one large

Yoghurt- one teaspoon

Tomatoes (finely chopped)-4to 5 tbsp

Whole cumin - ¼ th tsp

Coriander seeds- ¼ th tsp

Fennel seeds- ¼ th tsp

Black peppercorns- as per taste

Cardamom- 4

Cloves- 2

Cinnamon- one inch 

Garam masala powder

Salt- as per taste

Turmeric powder- as required

Sugar- as required

Kashmiri mirch Powder- little bit (optional)

Mustard oil- 2 or 3  tablesp

Ghee- as required. 

METHOD

Wash and clean the crabs. Soak them in hot salted water for 30 seconds and drain the water immediately. Pour chilled water over the crabs and pat dry them on a kitchen towel. 

Now marinate the crabs with salt, haldi, Kashmiri mirch, onion paste, ginger paste,  garlic paste and green chilly paste. Add yoghurt, half teaspoon raw mustard oil and half of the chopped onions. Cover the bowl with a cling film and set aside. Marinated crabs can be cooked after an hour .

In a wok/pan heat sufficient mustard oil (that's my preferred cooking medium , you can add any oil ). 

Add in the whole garam masala, chopped onions and stir. Add a little sugar to caramelize the onions and balance the taste. Once the onions are done, add the marinated crabs and stir over a high flame . After a minute or two, add the finely chopped tomatoes . Cover and cook on a low flame. Keep checking and stirring intermittently.

The claws will start changing into deep orange to reddish orange. Which indicates the doneness. 

When the crabs look almost done and you see the oil on the sides, cover the kadhai. In a separate pan dry roast the cumin, coriander , black pepper, fennel seeds  . Grind them into a fine powder and add into the simmering crabs.

To finish the dish add a generous amount of ghee and a generous pinch of garam masala powder , give a nice mix on a high flame. Check the seasoning. Switch off the flame and give it a standing time of 5min minimum before serving.