Crab Chettinad Masala

Reposting Recipe for ongoing events....Pls .find the event details below

Whenever I have prepared a chettinad curry before , I have tried with either chicken or egg.  As my hubby was insisting on preparing  a chettinad  curry for quite some time and I also had my last batch of crabs in my freezer, so I thought of  trying chettinad crab masala instead.  I was also inspired by Harika's Chicken chettinad masala she posted some time back in her blog . I have used the same spices as I use for my Chicken chettinad masala . I have kept the gravy medium spicy so that my daughter can also try it. Both my hubby and my daughter loved the crab masala  so much, my hubby has  insisted on making it with crab again :-) 


Those who are new to the term  Chettinad, it is a region of the Sivaganga district of southern Tamil Nadu state, India . Chettinad is well known for its Chettinad cuisine, Mansions, and Temples.


Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 20 minutes
Serves : 4 to 5 

Ingredients :

• 1 lb. Blue Crab (comes to almost 4 medium sized crabs)
• 1 cup yellow onion , chopped
• 1/2 cup shallots, chopped
• 1 cup tomato chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp red chili powder ( adjust heat according to your taste)
• 4 to 5 curry leaves
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 2 tbsp oil
• Chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Ingredients  to grind :

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp poppy seeds
• 4 to 5 whole black pepper
• 1, 1" cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 10 -12 fenugreek seeds
• 3 tbsp grated coconut

Preparation :

• Wash and cut the crabs thoroughly. I have used the flesh part with shell ( discarding the hard outer shell), legs and the claws in this recipe. Marinade crabs with salt, turmeric powder and 1/2  tbsp red chili powder , keep aside for 15 minutes.
• In the mean time, dry roast the ingredients for grinding as mentioned above till you get a nice aroma.  You need to dry roast the coconut separately to a golden brown color. 
• Add all the roasted spices in a blender with 3 to 4 tbsp of water and blend well to a fine paste.
• Next in a wide bottomed non stick skillet, heat 2 tbsp oil, add the curry leaves, ginger garlic paste with onions and sautee till the onions turn a light golden brown color.
• Next add the chopped  tomatoes and cook till they turn soft , then add the spice paste, with 1/2 tbsp red chili powder, fry well for a minute or so by constantly stirring untill the spices leave oil and you get a nice aroma .
• Add the crab pieces , mix well with the spices and let fry for 2 to 3 minutes. 
• Lastly add a cup of water  and let cook on medium low heat for 5 to 6 minutes or until the crab is fully cooked. Add 2 tbsp of lemon juice at the end. I have kept a dry gravy, you can add water according to your desired gravy consistency.
• Garnish with chopped coriander, serve hot with Rice or Paratha.

Reposting this recipe for Food of the month contest hosted by Food Corner

also sending for the event Christmas Delicacy hosted by Julie of Erivum Puliyumm

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