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Njandu/Crab Masala Curry- Kerala Crab Curry with Roasted Coconut



Njandu Masala Curry

Crab curry with coconut is an old classic, and a little bit of roasted coconut and earthy spices elevates the flavor of this crab curry. It is wonderfully aromatic with classic South Indian curry flavors, aromatic spices, and coconut. Earlier I have shared a recipe for a simple easy to make crab roast. As a Malayalee, I have a special affection for seafood, especially crab. We always try crab curries or crab roast when we visit Kerala. We get fresh crab that is cleaned and cooked immediately for maximum taste and flavor. My recipe comes from my mother-in-law. The perfect accompaniment is rice, tapioca, appam, or freshly baked bread. The key ingredient here is crab, but there are other possibilities when it comes to the sauce. Fish, prawns, lobster, squid, or calamari are all great choices.

Eating crab must be leisurely, and this crab curry is best eaten, with your fingers. On our recent visit to Kerala, we have so many memories of good food. We ate it with great delight, and the taste of fresh crab cooked with spices and roasted coconut was delicious. It had a taste that lingers on, and I am glad we captured a few images of this tasty meal. If you ask my mom and mother-in-law, they have a lot of experience when it comes to selecting the best crab, the male and female crab, the crab with golden eggs, and the best season to buy crabs. We could have talked in detail, but I will leave it for another post.

Crab masala is a peppery, spicy seafood delicacy with the flavors of roasted garam masala and coconut. For an authentic depth of flavor of coastal Kerala, try adding coconut, coconut oil, and curry leaves. How spicy is this? This curry is spicy with chilly powder and pepper powder, but you can adjust according to your spice tolerance. Flavoring varies from cook to cook, and I like less of everything for this curry. We are going minimal with roasted coconut and earthy spices so that there is a perfect balance and the flavor of the crab stands out. It is best to crack the claws and crab shells to get all the good flavor, into the curry.  If you find it difficult to handle fresh live crab, ask your fish monger to help cut and clean the crab.  For an authentic depth of flavor of coastal Kerala, try using freshly grated coconut, coconut oil, and curry leaves. This curry is so good I’ve been making it ever since. Once you have this, I bet you will make it always.


Njandu/Crab Masala Curry- Kerala Crab Curry with Roasted Coconut

Ingredients

Crab- 1 kg

Pearl onions or Shallots-1 cup (minced of crushed)

Tomatoes finely chopped- 1 large

Ginger- 2 inch thick

Garlic- 5-6

Green chili-2

Kashmiri Chili powder- 1 tbs

Pepper powder- 1 tsp

Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp

Coconut grated- 1 cup

Fennel seeds- 1/8 tsp

Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Coconut pieces- thin slices- a few

Curry leaves

Coconut oil- 3- 4 tbs 

Salt to taste

 

Clean the crab, remove the shells, and cut off the legs. 

Note to clean the crab: On the backside of the crab, you will find a flap. Using a knife, pull open the flap, grab the flap, and push open with the help of a knife and lift off the top shell. Remove the yellow layer of the gills that you find under the thick shell. Break off the smaller swimming legs. Nicely wash the top membrane clean and split lengthwise through the center. It’s also a good idea to crack those claws before you add the crabs to the curry so that all that delicious flavor gets inside and flavor the meat.

 

 Into a pan, add one tsp of oil, and roast grated coconut and fennel seeds. Roast in a low medium flame till it changes color to brown. When it cools down, make a fine paste.

Cook crab with turmeric powder, pepper powder, and salt (be careful with salt, add only little salt first and adjust according to taste). The crab will also shed its water. 

Into a food processor, add shallot, ginger, garlic, green chili, and curry leaves. Process it till lightly crushed. Keep this aside.

Heat oil and add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add thin coconut slices and curry leaves. When the coconut slices turn golden brown add the onion mixture and sauté for four to five minutes or till golden brown. Add chopped tomatoes, turmeric, chili powder, and garam masala, and the cooked crab along with its juice. Mix well and close the lid for a minute or two. Mix in the ground roasted coconut paste, and simmer for two more minutes. Drizzle a few drops of coconut oil and fresh curry leaves. Serve warm with rice.

You might also like,

Crab/Njandu Thoran
Crispy Crab Rangoon Recipe- Panda Express Copycat
Crab Croquettes
Crab Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Crab/Njandu Fry/ Roast

Try it,
Hope you will all enjoy!

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Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 4, 2015 at 2:07 AM

    wow superb njandu curry for rice, yummy

    ReplyDelete
  2. ShobhaJune 14, 2015 at 12:21 PM

    Yummy..
    I had made it recently too..

    ReplyDelete

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