Goan Crab Masala

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There are innumerable ways of cooking crabs. All good things come with a price. One needs to develop the technique of eating crabs & you gradually learn with practice.You need to have a lot of patience to eat them. I love crabs & I am totally prepared to enjoy it in a relaxed manner. I certainly have immense patience to savour the crab meat as well as the masala. We enjoyed this Crab Masala with steamed rice as well as with bread. So go ahead & please try this delectable preparation .. I’m sure you will enjoy as much as we did..  Bon Appetit!!
Ingredients :
  • 5 big fresh Crabs
  • 2 big Onions
  • 2 med. fresh Tomatoes
  • Walnut size ball of Tamarind (extract pulp)
  • 20 flakes fresh Garlic
  • 1 inch size fresh Ginger (scraped & cut into pieces)
  • 2 tsp. Poppy Seeds (Khuskhus)
  • ½ fresh coconut (scraped)
  • 7 dry Kashmiri Chillies(deseeded)
  • 6 tbsps. dry Coriander Seeds
  • 1 tbsp. Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
  • 1 tsp. Garam Masala pwd.
  • 5 Peppercorns
  • 1 inch Cinnamon Stick
  • 5 Cloves
  • 2 tsp. Fennel Seeds (Sauf)
  • 2 Green Cardamom
  • 1 small flake Javitri (Mace)
  • A pinch of Nutmeg pwd.
  • 1 tsp. Turmeric pwd.
  • 5 tbsps. Vegetable Oil
  • A pinch of Sugar
  • Salt to taste
  • Handful of fresh Coriander for garnishing
  • 1 – 2 cups Water

Method :
Select fresh crabs; get it cleaned & cut from the fishmonger.
Wash the crabs & drain well. Keep it aside for further use.
Heat the frying pan/ tawa on med. heat.
Add a few drops of oil & dry roast each of the following separately till light brown & keep aside  : one chopped onion, coconut, kashmiri chillies.
Roast together the following : coriander seeds, cumin seeds, poppy seeds, cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, peppercorns, javitri, cardamom for a minute.
Gently roast together ginger & garlic for about a minute.
While roasting, keep stirring all the spices with a spoon.
Transfer all the roasted condiments & spices into a masala grinder/blender & grind to a smooth paste using a little water. Transfer to a bowl .
Rinse the grinder with water & reserve the masala water for further use.
Now chop finely the other onion & tomatoes.
Heat a deep wide pan or a large wok with vegetable oil on med. till hot.
Reduce the heat & saute the chopped onions till light brown.
Then slide in the chopped tomatoes, sugar; saute & cook till the tomatoes are soft & mashed well. Add turmeric pwd. & nutmeg pwd.
Transfer the ground masala paste to the pan/wok, mix & saute well till you get a fragrant aroma of the cooked spices.
Next gently slide in the crabs & stir well with a spatula till it is coated well with the masala.
Add the reserved masala water & let it steam for 2 mins. with the lid closed.
Add sufficient water as per desired consistency of curry/ gravy.
Now add the tamarind pulp. Combine well.
Let it come to a boil & cook for about 10 mins on med.
Simmer for another 15 mins or till the desired thick consistency of curry/gravy/masala without the lid.
Taste the gravy & then adjust salt to taste.
Adjust the tanginess of the curry/ gravy/masala according to taste.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with steamed rice, pulao, Indian bread or any bread of your choice.

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3 Comments

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