Nandu kuzhambu – Crab in spicy coconut tamarind gravy, a great main course, typically served with steaming hot white rice. This delectable curry is very popular in Tamil Nadu. In one way its great fun and adventure, when you make it with live crab, which most of you would have seen back home, where they tend to escape from the cleaning process and crawl around the puzhakadai/patio.
I grew up with those fun filled memories… my aunt is a pro in making this kuzhambu and the recipe shared here is hers, as a kids i have relished quite a bit and now i make the same for my family. The recipe is quite simple except the cleaning process of the crab which is a little elaborate…. but all that painstaking effort is worth it when you actually get ready to eat. It a fun a to watch when your family put up this site everyone dig in, with rolled up sleeves, with the crab juice dripping all over your hand, cracking the hard shell to extract every bit of flesh and sucking the juice from every crevice of the crab shell…. 😛 Priceless!
CRAB CURRY RECIPE / NANDU KUZHAMBU RECIPE / CRAB KUZHAMBU RECIPE / SEAFOOD RECIPES / SOUTH INDIAN NANDU KUZHAMBU RECIPE / TAMIL NADU RECIPES / KUZHAMBU RECIPES / SEAFOOD GRAVY RECIPES / CRAB IN TAMARIND GRAVY
| Ingredients-1 | |
|---|---|
| 6 medium sized crabs | Blue crab |
| 1 & 1/2 cups | Onion (finely chopped) |
| 3/4 cup | Tomato (diced) |
| 5 cloves | Garlic (crushed) |
| 1 small | Green chilli (slit open) |
| ½ teaspoon | Turmeric powder |
| 1 teaspoon | Red chilli powder |
| 2 Tablespoons | Coriander /dhania powder |
| 1 teaspoon | Salt (or to taste) |
| 5 teaspoons | Tamarind extract (or thick store bought pulp 1/4 tsp) |
| 4 Tablespoons | Oil |
| 2 cups | Water |
| Ingredients – 2 | |
| 1/2 teaspoon | Mustard |
| 1 teaspoon | Cumin seeds |
| 5 leaves | Curry leaves |
| 2 pinch | Asafoetida powder |
| 1/4 teaspoon | Fenugreek seeds |
| Ingredients-3 | |
|---|---|
| 3 tablespoons | Fresh grated coconut |
| 1 teaspoon | Black pepper corns |
| ¼ cup | Water |
Lets see how to make this Nandu kuzhambu
Clean crab and wash them thoroughly with cold water. Check this post HOW TO CLEAN CRAB for a detailed write up on how to clean crabs with step by step pictures. Grind all ingredients from table-3 to a semi-thick paste and keep aside.
Heat oil in a big deep pan (similar to pasta pot) and splutter mustard, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and season with asafoetida powder. Add the minced onions, green chilli and garlic, fry them till they become translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook till they tend to become soft. Add in the turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and fry with the onion tomato gravy till the oil separates. It masala should look as shown.
Now pour in a cup of water, tamarind juice and salt. Bring it boil.
Now reduce to simmer and add the crab pieces and close with a lid.
Make sure the crab shells sink a bit in the gravy. Cover with a lid and let it cook over low medium flame for 15 minutes.
Once cooked they turn bright orange in color.
Now add the ground coconut paste.
Simmer for few minutes and garnish with fresh curry leaves. Switch off and serve with plain white rice and choice of vegetable curry.
Notes
American grocery super market chains carry just the cooked snow crabs and imitation crab meat. Chinese market or oriental grocery stores carry live blue crab, call to find on which day they get their supply, so that you can grab a bag full of fresh ones. Normally they sell each for a buck. Click here for interesting facts about Blue crab.
14 Comments
I chose to make this recipe over the nandu masala, it was quite nice but i cant wait to try the other one next time.
I love it too, try and let me know how you like it!
one of the best i ever tried…. awesome…. and thanks for sharing the recipe..
hi…..i tried this recipe y’day …….and it came out SUPERB……absolutely mouthwatering and bravo .all aour family love this . Thank you very much mullai..everyone should give it a try.
Tried this.. and it was really delicious 😉
thank you for the wonderful recipe!
HI, i tried this. It was fabulous, just that the gravy was little so i doubled the water and the curry powders. It was great taste. Thanks.
Mullai,
I couldn’t find anyChinese or oriental grocery stores carry live blue crab in Farmington,MI
Please give some suggestions.
Also does costco have anything fresh?
Thanks
hi…..i tried out this recipe y’day …….and it came out SUPERB……absolutely mouthwatering …its the first time im trying something with crab…..thank you for sharing it Mullai…….everyone shld give it a try, I say….
Hi mullai..
Am desperately waiting to learn how to clean live crab…. my chithi used to do it at home, but unable to learn it from her. so pls help us…
Awesome recipe!
Hi Mullai
COuld you please post “how to clean live crab”?
Thanks
Diana
Hi,
We bought live crab last week.
1. First we boil water in a big pot
2. Put the live crab in boiled water for 2 to 3 mins.
3.Once the shell turns color..remove from hot water and cool it little time.
4. First cut all the legs
5. Turn the main body upside down and show it under the running tap water.
6. Running tap water will clean the bad black stuff from the body.
7. The remaining white stuff is good to eat.
8. Now cut the main body into 2 or 3 piceces.
9. This Pieces are ready to make curry or gravy.
Hope this will help.
Hi
Yesterday i bought imitation crab thinking that it is a crab actually after searching in internet i got to know that it was not a crab but a kind of fish. Can u please help me regarding how to cook it. Please suggest me with a recipe to cook imitation crab.
Regards,
Gowher.
Wow………. We just make how you have given. The only thing is we dont use asafoetida powder (only while making muruku I have seen ppl using it). I remember chasing those crabs whn mom cleaning it. We hit it with “idukki”. Someone need to clean it for me if I am making… Cant wait to see how to clean it…