Crab Curry / Chimbori Masala / Kurlya Masala / Khekda Masala

Its Crab season...... Got the best crabs today.

Had to literally fight for it.... they are so much in demand. Your best bet is to purchase live crabs whenever possible. Step 1 accomplished now for step 2 the cleaning part. Now this can be messy. Your best option is to ask the macchiwali to break their legs. Yup I had a bad experience running after 12 of those when my nephew accidentally opened the bag. We found the last two the next day.....

Ok back to the cleaning part. Separate the legs and claws and wash them thoroughly with water and clean the mud. Do the same with the crabs. Now remove the flap like thing that is at the back of the crab. Wash again.  Now you have two options, either remove the shell entirely or break the crab into two (this requires a little strength and wrestling). Next take the claws and crack them using a pestle. As for the small legs you can either cook them as it is or you can just grind them using a little water. Strain and use this in the curry.  This

done, we are ready to cook.

There is a wide variety of crabs available but the best are the crabs that are found in the rocks, especially in the monsoons. Crabs are also known as khekda, chimbori, kurlya and so on. One interesting fact is that the crabs caught around "Amavasya" are fleshy and tasty.

I have made this crab curry as my mom used to make the only difference is that she uses dry coconut and I have used fresh coconut.

Ingredients:

2 big         Crabs

1 cup        Grated Coconut

1               Tomato

3 tsp         Whole Dhania

1 tsp         Jeera

1 inch       Dalchini

6 to 8        Pepper Corns

1/2 tsp      Haldi Powder

1 tsp         Namak Shamak

5 to 6        Red Chillies

2 tsp         Ginger Garlic Paste

1 tsp         Tamarind Pulp

1 big         Onion

1/2 cup     Coriander Leaves

3 tsp         Oil

Method:

In a pan  heat a little oil. Now roast the red chillies, dhania, jeera, dalchini, pepper corns, and the grated coconut till a little brown. Cool and grind to a fine paste using a little water.

 

Heat Oil in a pan. Add the finely chopped Onions and ginger garlic paste and cook till golden.  Toss in the tomatoes and cook till tender.  Now add the crabs and the pincers and saute till the become red. If you have ground the legs, add that pulp too.  Add the haldi powder, salt and the ground masala. Cook and cover for 15 to 20 mins. Now add the tamarind pulp and a little water if required. Cover and cook for 5 mins.

Serve garnished with coriander leaves.

This curry tastes good with rice, chapati or amboli.

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