I grew up in Colombo and had not travelled much of the country, especially not the North and East. In part, due to the three-decade civil war that made it inaccessible. My first visit to Jaffna was in my 30’s and even since then, the number of times I’ve been to the North or East barely moves to the second hand. Though I wish I had more experience of our extensive Northern and Eastern cuisines, one dish does stand out… the Crab Curry. Jaffna crab curry is to die for… and considering the spice level, you just might die… and go to heaven! My first experience tasting a homecooked Northern-style crab curry was when we had a young friend living with us in our home. Since then, we have had the pleasure of eating the best crab curry at her home in Colombo and her parental home back in Mullaitivu.
If you are visiting Sri Lanka and would like to sample Jaffna food in Colombo, I suggest the Palmyrah Restaurant nestled inside Hotel Renuka in Colombo.
This recipe is adapted from a recipe by the internationally renowned chef, Peter Kuruvita.
Ingredients
- Crabs amounting to about 2.5kg cleaned*
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- ½ cup fresh grated coconut
- 2 tbsp rice grains
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 onion finely sliced
- 5 cloves garlic crushed into a paste
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
- 2-3 green chilis split (optional: omit for a milder version)
- 1 tbsp Jaffna curry powder
- 2 tsp chili powder (use Kashmiri chili powder for a milder version)**
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1 cup coconut milk + 1 cup water (if using canned or packaged milk)
- 1 tbsp tamarind pulp (or to taste)
- 1 sprig drumstick (moringa) leaves picked.
- 2 tbsp lime juice (or to taste)
Method
Add the turmeric, chili powder, Jaffna curry powder and salt to the crab, mix well and set aside. Roast cumin and pepper in a pan on high heat. Roast the coconut and rice separately till golden. Grind the roasted ingredients to a fine powder. In a large wok or pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds. Fry for 30secs. Add fennel and fenugreek. Add onion, curry leaf, and green chili (if using) and cook till onion is golden. Add garlic and fry till the raw smell disappears. Now add the crab and cook for a few minutes. Add the ground mixture and the tamarind pulp to the coconut milk + water mixture. Add this mixture to the crabs. Reduce heat and cook till the crabs are done (about 10-12 mins). Increase to medium heat and cook till gravy thickens (about 4mins). Add the drumstick leaves. Adjust salt. Turn off heat and add the lime juice to taste.
*To clean crabs, lift the apron from the lower abdominal side and pull off the carapace from the top of the crab. This top shell is discarded. When the shell is removed, the gills and innards of the crab will be exposed. Holding the crab under running water, wash out the guts etc and remove the gills. You may need a brush to scrub depending on the species of crab used. Remove and discard the mouth parts and if desired, the tips of the legs. If the crabs are medium to large sized, break or cut the crab into 2 down the middle. Detach the claws and lightly pound them so that the flavours can enter during the cooking.
**The signature feature of this dish is the deep red colour of the chili used. But if you cannot tolerate too much spice, you can still achieve this by using the much milder Kashmiri chili powder, which gives the brilliant colour but not the heat.
Bonus Info According to Brittanica.com, Serendib was the name for the island of Sri Lanka (Ceylon). The name, Arabic in origin, was recorded in use at least as early as AD 361. The name Serendib is a corruption of the Sanskrit compound word Siṃhaladvīpa meaning “Dwelling-Place-of-Lions Island” (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1998).
