A bowl of crab kari topped with crab claws on a slate background

Sri Lankan crab curry (crab kari)

Name: Sri Lankan crab curry (crab kari)
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Serves 2
Cuisine: Sri lankan
Ingredients: 1 live Devon brown crab or 1.5kg of prepared crab claws; 2 tbsp coconut oil; 1 tsp black mustard seeds; ½ tsp fenugreek seeds; 1 stick cinnamon; 1 stick lemongrass sliced in half lengthways; 8-10 curry leaves; 5cm piece pandan leaf or 2 dried pandan leaves; 1 onion finely diced; a thumb-sized piece ginger peeled and finely grated; 3 cloves garlic crushed; 1 small ripe tomato finely diced; 1 tbsp unroasted Sri Lankan curry powder; 1 tsp chilli powder; 1 tsp ground coriander; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 120ml thick coconut milk; 250ml fresh fish stock or water; 2 green chillies sliced in half lengthways (optional)

Karan Gokani

Published: May 27, 2021 at 3:07 PM

Save recipe

Serves 2

A little effort

Total time: 45 mins

0 reviews

loading...

Get 5 months for £5 when you subscribe today

This robust crab curry, flavoured with mustard seeds, fenugreek and lemongrass, comes from Sri Lankan restaurant Hoppers in London

Skip to ingredients

Alternatives

Complete the dish

Serve this Sri Lankan crab kari as part of a menu along with Hoppers' yellow rice and samphire and sea beet sambol. Next, check out our egg hoppers, coconut sambal and more Sri Lankan recipes, plus our insider guide to Sri Lankan food.

Ingredients

Nutrition

1 live Devon brown crab

or 1.5kg of prepared crab claws
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
1 stick cinnamon
1 stick lemongrass

sliced in half lengthways
8-10 curry leaves
5cm piece pandan leaf

or 2 dried pandan leaves
1 onion

finely diced
a thumb-sized piece ginger

peeled and finely grated
3 cloves garlic

crushed
1 small ripe tomato

finely diced
1 tbsp unroasted Sri Lankan curry powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground turmeric
120ml thick coconut milk
250ml fresh fish stock

or water
2 green chillies

sliced in half lengthways (optional)

Nutrition: per serving

kcal393
fat26.9g
saturates19.2g
carbs12.7g
sugars7.7g
fibre6.1g
protein22.1g
salt1g

Method

step 1

Boil the crab for 10-12 minutes until cooked through, then break it down, separating the claws, cracking the body in half and removing all the brown meat from the carapace. Discard the gills and gut. You can do this up to a day ahead and keep the meat chilled until you need it.
step 2

Heat the coconut oil in a large, deep pan over a medium heat. Fry the mustard and fenugreek seeds for 1 minute. Once they start to splutter, stir in the cinnamon stick, lemongrass, curry leaves and pandan leaves. Cook for 30 seconds, then add the onion, ginger and garlic. Continue to cook, stirring regularly for 6-8 minutes or until the onion has softened and slightly browned.
step 3

Add the tomato and all of the spices. Continue cooking for 5 minutes until the tomato breaks down to a pulp, adding a splash of water if the sauce begins to stick. Add the coconut milk and stock or water and simmer for 5 minutes or until the liquid reduces to a silky sauce.
step 4

Add the brown crab meat, claws and body, and simmer for 8-10 minutes over a medium heat or until the sauce thickly coats the shells. Add the green chillies for the final 2 minutes of cooking, if using. Season and serve.

Head this way for more easy Sri Lankan recipes

Sri Lankan cashew and potato curry

Authors

A profile image of Karan Gokani Hoppers

Karan Gokani

Comments, questions and tips

Rate this recipe

What is your star rating out of 5?1 star out of 52 stars out of 53 stars out of 54 stars out of 55 stars out of 5

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

CommentQuestionTip

Overall rating

0 reviews

Want to see this content?

This page contains olivemagazine content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.

Accept and continue