Caril de caranguejo

Ingredients

Crab

• 2 kglive mangrove crabs
• or 2 kg cooked crab, in pieces
• salt, for the water

Masala

• 3onions, chopped
• 8garlic cloves, crushed
• 4cm ginger, grated
• 3tomatoes, chopped
• 4 tablespoonsoil
• 3 tablespoonscurry powder
• 1 teaspoonturmeric
• 1 teaspooncumin seed
• 1 teaspooncoriander seed, ground
• 2piri piri chillies, chopped
• 10curry leaves

To finish

• 500 mlcoconut milk
• juice of 1 lime
• salt to taste
• a handful of coriander, chopped

To serve

• plain white rice
• or bread
• piri piri sauce
• lime wedges

Directions

1. Keep them cold, which makes them sluggish. Chill the crab in the freezer for twenty minutes. The usual method is a firm spike through the nerve centres. Boil the killed crab for about eight minutes. Lift it out and let it cool enough to handle. Pull the top shell away from the body.
2. Remove and discard the feathery gills. Rinse out the body cavity thoroughly. Cut the body into quarters with a heavy knife. Crack the claws with the back of the knife.
3. Heat the oil in a very large pan. Add the cumin seed and let it sizzle. Add the chopped onions to the pan. Cook them for about eight minutes until golden. Add the garlic, ginger and chopped chillies. Cook them for a good two minutes. Add the curry powder, turmeric and coriander.
4. Add a splash of water to make a paste. Cook that paste for a full five minutes. Stir it constantly so it does not catch. Oil should begin to separate at the edges. That separation is the sign it is ready.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes and the curry leaves. Cook them down for about five minutes. Adding the coconut milk needs care. Pour the coconut milk in gradually. Stir it through the masala thoroughly. Bring it to a very gentle simmer. Never boil coconut milk hard, which splits it.
6. Let it simmer gently for ten minutes. It should thicken slightly as it cooks. Season the sauce well with salt. Add the crab pieces to the sauce. Turn them over to coat them completely. Spoon sauce into the cracked claws. Cover the pan and simmer gently. Give it fifteen minutes for the crab to take up flavour. Turn the pieces once during that time. The sauce should be thick and clinging.
7. Cook it uncovered a few minutes to reduce it. The crab is already cooked and only needs flavouring. Squeeze in the juice of the lime. Stir in most of the chopped coriander. Taste the curry and adjust the salt. Serving it is done hot and messily.
8. Pile the crab pieces into a wide bowl. Spoon plenty of sauce over them. Scatter the rest of the coriander over. Serve rice or bread alongside. Put piri piri sauce and lime on the table. Crab crackers help with the claws.

Technique

• Portuguese rule linked Mozambique with Goa for centuries, and Indian spicing travelled along those routes into Mozambican coastal cooking.
• Mangrove crab, Scylla serrata, lives in the mangrove creeks along the coast and is the crab traditionally used.

Substitutions

• Any large crab works, and cooked crab from a fishmonger avoids the handling of live ones.
• Prawns can be curried the same way and cook in a fraction of the time.

Variations

• Some cooks add potato or pumpkin to the sauce.
• A version with more chilli is made for those who want heat.
• Caril de camarao, prawn curry, is made the same way.

History

Mangrove crab curried with coconut milk and spices, showing the Indian and Goan influence carried into Mozambique under Portuguese rule.

Frequently asked questions

What is Caril de caranguejo?

Caril de caranguejo is a main from Mozambique: crab curry rich with coconut milk. Mangrove crab curried with coconut milk and spices, showing the Indian and Goan influence carried into Mozambique under Portuguese rule.

How long does Caril de caranguejo take to make?

Caril de caranguejo takes 40 minutes of preparation and 40 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Caril de caranguejo?

Yes, within limits. Any large crab works, and cooked crab from a fishmonger avoids the handling of live ones. Prawns can be curried the same way and cook in a fraction of the time.

What is the most important thing to get right in Caril de caranguejo?

Add the chopped tomatoes and the curry leaves. Cook them down for about five minutes. Adding the coconut milk needs care. Pour the coconut milk in gradually. Stir it through the masala thoroughly. Bring it to a very gentle simmer. Never boil coconut milk hard, which splits it.