Chilli Crab is such a beautiful dish. Its pretty to look at, it tastes delicious and it’s great for a weekend get-together with family and loved ones. Chef Dato’ Fazley, especially, love to make this dish since he is such an avid fan of seafood. For him, nothing beats the satisfaction of cracking open the hard shell of a crab and see the succulent meat inside and we know, you agree with him too, right?
So, before we go straight to the recipe, let’s travel back in time and find out the reason Chilli Crab has such a strong hold over Malaysians, especially among the Chinese. Well, it could be because this dish, believe it or not, is actually created here in Southeast Asia. Chilli Crab first made its appearance in 1956, in Singapore, when a husband-and-wife duo, Cher Yam Tam and Lim Choo Ngee, who owned a hawker stand, started to sell a simple crab dish with a tomato-chilli sauce that slowly began to gain recognition and popularity in both Singapore and Malaysia.
What makes this dish so special is the richness in flavour although very few ingredients are used to prepare it. The sweet flesh of the crab completes the tangy-spicy sauce, making it such a filling meal. To show you how easy it is to prepare Chilli Crab, especially with Chef Dato’ Fazley’s special Chilli Crab recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1kg crab
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 10 shallots
- 10 cloves garlic
- 4-inch fresh ginger
- 5 bird’s eye chilies
- 1 bunch fresh coriander
- 1 tablespoon chilli flakes
- 1/2 cup chili sauce
- 1 whole tomato
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 whole lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon chicken stock
- salt to taste
Method:
- Clean and prepare crabs into the desired cut.
- Heat oil and sauté shallots, garlic, ginger, bird’s eye chilies.
Add crabs in, til it’s cooked. Add all the other ingredients. - Add chopped tomato last, with the water, and wait for the boiling point before turning off the fire.
- Chopped coriander is sprinkled before serving.
As Easy as 1, 2, 3..
We bet this Chilli Crab recipe will be one of your family favourites that everyone will be fighting over during the next family cookout. Just how Chef Dato’ Fazley fell in love with this dish, you will do too. Also, thank you
vivo | Villeroy & Boch Group for the beautiful pictures of the Chilli Crab dish. So delectable!
If you have your own favourite recipe that you want to share with us, feel free to email it to sembang@butterkicap.com or just drop a chat to us via our Instagram profile, @butterkicap. Don’t forget to show your appreciation and love to Chef Dato’ Fazley for this beautiful recipe by visiting his Instagram profile @fazleyyaakob and check out more feel-good recipes by him or keep a look out for awesome lunch and dinner deals at @sukasucrebistro to taste Chef Dato’s cooking yourself!