INGREDIENTS:

– 4 blue manna crabs
– Salt to taste
– 1 tbsp coriander powder mixed with ¼ cup water
– 2 tsp chilli (mild or hot to your preference) powder mixed with ¼ cup water
– ½ jar Latasha’s Kitchen Homestyle Seafood Curry Paste
– 1 cup coconut cream or milk
– Rice bran oil
– 2 tsp black mustard seeds
– 2 spring fresh curry leaves

Dry toast and grind roughly for marinating the crabs
– 1 tbsp cumin seeds
– 1 tbsp fennel seeds
– 2 sprigs curry leaves
– 1 tbsp turmeric powder

Finely minced
– 1 red or brown onion
– 4 cloves garlic
– 5 cm piece of ginger

Garnish
– Sliced tomatoes, coriander leaves, sliced green and red chillies

PREPARATION:

Clean crabs, remove the large claws and gently crack them. This allows curry to permeate when cooking. Next, cut the crabs into halves. Then sprinkle the toasted roughly ground spice mixture of cumin and fennel seeds, turmeric powder and curry leaves over cleaned crabs. Sprinkle some salt. Combine thoroughly and set aside for 30 minutes.

METHOD:

1. Heat some oil in a wok which should be reasonably large to allow crabs to be turned over during cooking.
2. When oil gets hot, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Turn down heat to medium, add curry leaves, then minced onions, followed by garlic and ginger after 10 minutes. Stir these continually for about 10 more minutes, until caramelised, adding more oil if necessary to prevent mixture sticking to wok.
3. Next add the chilli and coriander paste, cook for 5 minutes on low. Add a touch of water to prevent mixture sticking to wok.
4. Then add ½ jar Homestyle Seafood Curry Paste, and fresh curry leaves. Cook entire mixture long enough till oil begins to float at the top, approx. 10 minutes. Add the coconut cream and stir continually for 2-3 minutes.
5. At this point, slowly add the crabs, combine well and stir the crabs over the curry. Keep stirring and mixing for 10 minutes and cooking the crabs until they are no longer blue. Now place a lid on the wok for 10 minutes and simmer. This will allow the flavours to exchange. Taste gravy to check for salt. The crabs are cooked when no blue colour is visible.
6. Garnish with sliced tomatoes, coriander leaves, sliced green and red chillies