recipe-1

Recipe-1 › Curries of the world › Jaffna crab curry

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Jaffna crab curry

The fiery crab curry of northern Sri Lanka, with roasted Jaffna curry powder, coconut milk, drumsticks and murungai leaves.

Jaffna crab curry
Same steps, different flavour base Hot

Too hot for you? Use half the chilli (powder, paste or fresh chillies) and leave out the green chillies.

New here? How this page works

Recipe-1 is one simple curry recipe in nine steps: fry onions and green chillies, add your vegetables or meat, add chilli powder and turmeric, then water and salt, and boil. With small changes the same nine steps make curries from all over the world.

This page takes those nine steps and shows what to change to make Jaffna crab curry. You don’t need to read anything else first: every base step is written out below. The changes are worked out on paper from what is typical for this dish; not yet kitchen-tested. Cooked it? Tell others how it went.

Green: the base recipe step (crossed out = do not use it for this dish)Red: what to do instead for Jaffna crab curry

See the full base recipe (with timers and tips) · See all curries on the world map

You’ll need

How many people?4

The amounts change with the number of people; cooking times stay about the same (use a bigger pot for more). Taste as you go: you can always add more chilli or salt, but you cannot take it out.

Main ingredient: 1 kg Mud crabs, cleaned and cut in halves.

From the base recipe

  • 2 Onions
  • 3 Green chillies
  • 3 tbsp Cooking oil
  • Red chilli powder not used
  • ½ tsp Turmeric
  • 1 tsp · not used Salt and water
  • Ginger garlic paste not used
  • Cloves, cardamom and cinnamon not used
  • Garam masala (optional) not used

Add for Jaffna crab curry

  • 2–3 tbsp Jaffna curry powder (roasted)
  • 400 ml Coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp Tamarind
  • 2 sprigs Curry leaves
  • 2 Moringa (drumstick) pods
  • 6 Garlic

Leave out

  • Garam masala

The nine steps, with the changes

Where a step has a red line, do the red line and not the crossed-out green base step. Steps with only green are done just as in the base recipe.

  1. Base step: do not useCut onions and chillies.

    Jaffna crab curry: do thisChop the onions and green chillies.

  2. Base step: do not useFry in some oil for around 4 minutes on medium-high heat.

    Jaffna crab curry: do thisFry with curry leaves and garlic.

  3. Base step: do not useCut the vegetable(s) of your choice.

    Jaffna crab curry: do thisCut the drumsticks into pieces.

  4. Base step: do not useAdd them and fry for around 4 minutes on medium-high heat.

    Jaffna crab curry: do thisAdd the crabs and stir to coat.

  5. Base step: do not useAdd red chilli powder and turmeric.

    Jaffna crab curry: do thisAdd 2–3 spoons of Jaffna curry powder and turmeric.

  6. Keep frying until just before they start browning.

  7. Base step: do not useAdd some water.

    Jaffna crab curry: do thisAdd thin coconut milk and tamarind water.

  8. Add salt.

  9. Base step: do not useBoil until the gravy is as thick as you like.

    Jaffna crab curry: do thisSimmer 15 minutes with the drumsticks, then add thick coconut milk.

Serve: With rice or bread.

For meat and seafood, make sure it is cooked through: chicken until no pink remains inside; mutton, goat and beef need long, slow cooking.

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Food marks, as on packaged food in India: vegetarian · non-vegetarian (meat, fish or egg). Dishes with both marks can be made either way.

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