Crabs are one of the staple crustaceans, along with prawns, that are regularly consumed on our dining tables. It’s a long decadent, messy meal which we wait for week after week, especially during the spawning season, when its not available. The version by my mum is one of the easiest crab dishes to prepare, even a novice will nail it. Its crabby, meaty, spicy and oh so tasty. Hope you like this recipe. Enjoy!

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INGREDIENTS
1-kg. Crabs
8 Dried Red Chillies, cut into 3 pieces each
6 Peppercorns
4 Cloves
12 Garlic Cloves, lightly crushed
1-inch Cinnamon stick
2-tbsp. Ginger garlic paste
Salt to taste
Cooking oil

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PROCEDURE
1. Wash, clean and cut the crabs. Take off the shell, cut the bodies in half if large, lightly crack the claws. Keep the eggs and the membrane from inside the shell for cooking.
2. In a large enough vessel, add 4-tbsp. oil, add all the spices once the oil has heated, temper the oil for a minute, don’t burn the spices, once the garlic has turned light brown lower the heat.
3. Add ginger garlic paste, turn up the heat and stir constantly until the past almost burns and sticks to the bottom, its caramelizing.
4. Add the crab pieces and keep tossing till most of it is covered by the oil, use more oil if it seem less, keep the heat on high. Now add the crab eggs and membrane if any, don’t feel yucky, it adds to the flavor, so never discard these.
5. Pour in 2-cups of hot water and bring it to a boil, cover the vessel, bring the heat down to a simmer and cook for 15-minutes.
6. Once the crab has cooked, remove all the spices, with a little of the gravy, add half cup of water and blend to a paste.
7. Pour the paste back into the vessel, add more water if required or keep on high heat if too much, this becomes a light yet flavourful gravy, not something you can pour over rice but just enough to keep the crabs moist.