Local Attractions
Crabs from the clear streams, and the mud embankments of paddy fields were always popular, in addition to the supply of fresh sea crabs from the coasts of Malabar and Mangalore that made their way to the markets in Kodagu. This curry,full of extraordinary flavour, is best eaten with akki ottis or steamed white rice. Njende Curry ( Crab Curry) full of sour -spicy flavours. Eaten with Akki Ottis(rice rotis), this curry is so good, it is usually polished off at one sitting.
Crab Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 1kg crabs (about 4 -5)
- Salt, turmeric
- Oil for frying
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp kachampuli
- Limejuice
Fried Masala:
- 2 tbsp whole coriander seeds
- 1 tsp whole peppercorns
- 8 dry, whole red chillies
- ½ tsp jeera
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- few grains of methi seeds
- 1 whole garlic, split into pods
- 1-inch fresh ginger
Method
- Heat 2 tbsp oil, reduce the flame, and fry all the above ingredients for 1 -2 mins.
- Then add: 6 medium onions, sliced, & fry till onions become light brown & limp.
- Add ¼ coconut, grated & fry the whole mixture until dark brown, & it releases its aroma.
- Remove from fire, & when cool, add 4 large, ripe tomatoes, grind the whole mixture to a smooth paste, & add to the crabs.
- Wash out the spice mixture from the mixer, & reserve 2 cups of this spice water.
- Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in a vessel &add all the crabs with masala paste & stir well. Fry for about 5 mins.
- Add 2 cups of masala water, & cook uncovered, on a slow fire, for about 15 mins or less.
- Add 1 tbsp kachampuli, simmer for a few minutes until the oil rises.
This recipe is from my aunt Sabita Chengappa.
Image Credits: Nithin Sagi
Kaveri’s recipes have always been scrumptious yet easy to make. I love tangy flavors.So this will definitely make me euphoric.Crab happens to be my hubby’s favorite dish as well. My mava’s bday is nearing.I have already made plans to team this dish with some good Swiss white wine. kaveri, thanks for this minimalistic recipe. Here’s hoping for many more recipes to come.
Hello Vindhya, delighted that you will be trying out the crab, and the combination with wine sounds wonderful.
I hope it turns out perfect, and wish your Mava a very Happy Birthday from us!
Wow, I am happy to discover this recipe for cooking crabs. I was unable to get large crabs last week end. Shall try out this sunday and shall get back to you.
I also wish to share your blog details with family and friends. Looking forward to more recipes from you.
Thanks very much, Bina. Good luck with the crab hunting, and I hope that you enjoy the curry. It would be great to know how it turns out. And yes, do share the recipes, that’s what good food is for – sharing!
i love crab, nothing like cooking a fresh crab the way you want and eat the same. My mother never failed to cook our style of crab curry from Tanjore when I used to go home for vacation I badly miss those great moments. Today, when I read the recipe I remembered my Mother. I am going to cook the crab the way you described and I am sure it will be yummy. I will come back with feedback soon!!
Welcome, Chef, it’s a real honour to have you visit this page, thank you so much! Your feedback is most welcome, and most importantly, I do hope the curry is good enough to take you back in time, to past vacations in Tanjore.
For anyone who visits this page, Chef Natarajan is one of the biggest repositories of rare recipes from the regional cuisines of the south, and an authority on the subject.
This weekend, I will personally enter the kitchen and cook it Kaveri.Will let you know after that! Anyway it seems awesome just going through the recipe.
the recipe looks absolutely scrumptious ……..it looks really easy to make and we just cant wait to try it.
Thanks for the recipe. Crab is my favorite sea food .I have always eaten it at home, cooked in a mangalorean coconut based curry.
This looks fantastic and I will let you know how it turns out
It is very easy to make, Andrew, and it gets eaten up just as easily.
So enjoy the crab, and share it with as many people you can – that’s what good food is for.
Mrinal, I would love to hear how it turned out in your kitchen. All the ingredients are easily available,if you can’t get kachampuli, you can just boil a few (2-3) dried kokum in the curry instead, it works really well.
Hello Milind, let me know how the crab curry turns out. Thanks for visiting this page, and do keep in touch for more from Coorg.
Hi Kaveri!
It is wonderful to see this initiative of yours to publish on the net, recipes from the region of Coorg. I have always found Coorg to be a fascinating destination and have enjoyed several home cooked meals during my visits to Coorg. The cuisine of Coorg is very exciting and based on long traditions, special local ingredients and spices giving it an unique flavour. Both your recipes of Pandi Curry and Njende Curry look great and i can’t wait to try them. Going by the detail and meticulousness with which you have presented the recipes, i am sure the readers will find it very easy to duplicate them at home. Will watch the space for more. Best wishes.
Abhijit,thank you so much for being here, it is hugely encouraging to read your observations I look forward to your comments,and to your presence on this page very much indeed! do let me know how the recipes turn out.
U r doing a great job by writing about Coorg food. Very few people know about the diverse coorg food. Kudos to u. Keep writing. There is a need to preserve the recipes for the future. I have a suggestion. As we dont stay in Coorg, me and my friends used to check this website for local news, articles, etc about coorg, which seems to have stopped. You should write about more information about coorg. Thanks for the free email address. All the best!
Thank you so much, Nani, your feedback is much appreciated. Yes, I completely agree that it’s really important to preserve our recipes and food traditions, we have some of the best in the world, and so much variety. Do look out for more recipes and food stories which will be posted here, regularly, and please share them with your friends.