Crabs in Spicy Yellow Coconut Gravy (Ketam Masak Lemak Cili Padi)

 

I'm feeling a little spicy and a lot of crabby tonight. 

The one thing I looooovee about living in the east coast is, I get to buy seafood, which are always ginormous and at a cheaper pricer compared to living in the west! 

Which, however, does no good to either my husband's cholestrol level or mine. God forbid that we contact those horrendous diseases that come from high cholesterol, like cardiovascular disease, or diabetes or HBP! Oh dear... 😰 

You would think that my husband and I would be very wiser and avoid seafood like a plague, seeing that he is a doctor. Well, you thought wrong. We go by the motto YOLO! Haha. 

Alright, enough with the chit-chat. I made crabs in spicy yellow coconut gravy for tonight's dinner because I was extra lazy and wanted something unusual for tonight. I have to say that this dish, is one of the fews that I am confident enough to cook for a party. LOL. Who in their right mind serves ketam masak lemak cili padi at parties?! Me. Me. 🙋 

So, here is the list of ingredients that I used in creating my version of masak lemak cili padi. 

✓ 1½ kilogram of crab 

✓ 4 cloves of rose or small onion* 

✓ 3 stalks of bird's eye chilli* 

✓ 2 stalks of red chilli* 

✓ 1 thumb size ginger root* 

✓ 1 thumb size turmeric root* 

✓ 2 pieces of dried tamarind* 

✓ 2 stalks of lemongrass* 

✓ 1 carton of coconut milk 

✓ 2 teaspoons of salt 

✓ 1 small cup of water 

✓ 2 spoons of cooking oil 

Steps:

1) Prep the crabs accordingly; clean, wash and cut into half. 

2) Crush the stared ingredients (*) using pestle and mortar for thick and original-traditinal taste like.

3) Heat up the cooking oil in the pot under medium high heat. 

4) Crush the end of lemongrass and fry them in the heated pot till fragrant. 

5) Add in the crushed paste and sauté till fragrant too. 

6) Add the prepped crabs and stir well until half cooked. 

7) Pour a carton of coconut milk and continue stirring so the milk does not clump together. 

8) Pour water and add salt in and keep stirring. 

9) Slow down the heat, dip the dried tamarins for a minute or two. 

10) Fish out the tamarinds, place the lid onto the pot and let the gravy rest for 5-10 minutes till cooked. 

11) Off the heat. Dish and serve! 

Sidenote:

✗ I dipped the tamarinds for a minute or two mainly because I do not like the strong sour taste that those tamarinds produce. Sometimes, I skipped this step altogether, depending on the type of food I made that day, hehe. 

✗ If you do not have turmeric root in your pantry, do not fret, you can always use the powdered turmeric too, though your paste is not going to taste as delicious. 

✗ I did not add in a lot of water because my husband likes it thick and spicy. 

✗ I only used 3 stalks of bird's eye chilli because they were already hot. I usually use 8 to 10 stalks when I am back in Kuala Lumpur, though. 

✗ Do not use too much of cooking oil because you want your gravy to have a smooth and milky texture, not rough and clumped up together in oil. 

✗ Those who cannot tolerate salty food, you are advised to add salt to your taste, instead. Well, this is all for now. Hope you enjoy my easy-breezy recipe of the day. Have fun cooking!