This particular Crab Malai Curry recipe is a real winner! Fresh crabs combined with coconut milk and the simple spices typically used for Chingri Malai Curry are guaranteed to make a fantastic meal.
This light crab curry, made with coconut milk, cooks in just thirty minutes. Please note that this time does not include cleaning the crab; if you need guidance on that, a video is available on my YouTube channel, DebjanirRannaghar. While fresh coconut milk offers the best flavor, extracting it can be time-consuming, so I often opt for packaged coconut milk to save time.
Jump to:
- Debjani's Note
- Authentic Malai Curry Recipe?
- Crab Curry with Coconut Milk
- What do you need for Crab Malai Curry?
- Top Tips
- Recipe Card
- Easy Fish and Seafood Recipes from Debjanir Rannaghar
- Have you tried the Narkel Dudh-e Kakra recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar!
- Here's the Perfect Bengali Crab Malai Curry Recipe Pin for your Pinterest Board!
Debjani's Note
As a recipe writer, I've never been fond of overly complicated cooking methods unless the recipe absolutely requires it. I believe in simplicity. I have a demanding full-time job, and afterward, I love to spend quality time with my family. My human daughter, my two canine daughters, and my husband aren't demanding, but I cherish our time together, as cuddling is important. I also have parents on both sides who are a phone call away and as they get older, they are becoming a bit more childlike.
Beyond all that, there are books, movies, streaming shows, and, most importantly, the simple joy of doing nothing.
I really appreciate simple, quick processes. So, why am I sharing this? To explain why I think this cooking method is so wonderfully straightforward!
Last Sunday, Mehebub brought home a wonderful haul of fresh crabs. It's rare for us to find crabs of such high quality, and as a family who adores them, we were thrilled. I've even shared several crab recipes on my blog before, which you're welcome to explore. With two packets of coconut milk on hand, I immediately decided to prepare Crab Malai Curry.
Authentic Malai Curry Recipe?
By the way, have you ever wondered if Bengali Malai Curry is truly authentic? I'm specifically talking about Chingri, or Prawn Malai Curry. I'm guessing you're familiar with the classic story behind this famous Bengali dish. If not, you really should learn about Chingri Malaikari!
Crab Curry with Coconut Milk
I could easily call this dish "Crab Curry with coconut milk" or "Coconut milk Crab," or something similar. But, given the spices I've chosen and the way I prepare it, I decided on "Crab Malai Curry," also known as "Kakra Malai Curry."
I actually use the exact same recipe I use for my Prawn Curry with coconut milk. In fact, I follow the same steps to make Chicken Malai Curry, Egg Malai Curry, and Paneer Malai Curry. Essentially, any dish made with a coconut milk gravy is a lifesaver in the kitchen.
What do you need for Crab Malai Curry?
- Crab
- Coconut Milk
- Onion
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Tomato
- Green Chili
- Bengali Garam Masala
- Salt
- Sugar
- Red Chilli Powder
- Bay leaves
- Dry Red Chili
- Cinnamon Stick
- Green Cardamom
- Oil
- Ghee and
- Loads of love!
Top Tips
You might wonder if I left out some important spices. However, when cooking with crab, it's crucial to appreciate its natural taste. I prefer not to overwhelm a delicate curry made with crab and coconut milk with too many spices. These two main ingredients, along with a few common spices, are all that's needed to create a truly delicious and comforting crab curry.
What about the Writer's block I mentioned in the Chitol Macher Muitha post?
Next time, maybe. I don't want to overpower a subtle curry post with a story that is simple 😉 .
Recipe Card
Crab Malai Curry | Narkel Dudh-e Kakra | Kakra Malai Curry
Creamy and flavorful Crab Malai Curry! A modified version of Bengali Chingri Malai Curry wherein fresh Crabs are used instead of Prawns.
Ingredients
- 1 Kg Crab
- 300 ml Coconut Milk
- 2 Onion
- 2 Tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Ginger Paste
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Paste
- 4 Green Chilies
- 3 tablespoon Mustard Oil
- 1 tablespoon Ghee
Spice Powders
- 2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder to be used in cleaning and also while cooking
- 1 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Bengali Garam Masala Powder
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 2 teaspoon Salt to be used in cleaning and also while cooking
Whole Spices
- 2 Bay leaves
- 2 Dry Red Chili
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 3 Green Cardamom
Instructions
Crab Cleaning
- Check the video
- Wash crabs with water.
- Remove the outer shell and the triangular part covering the abdominal part and discard.
- Now separate the legs, followed by the Claws.
- In Bengal, we eat the legs (and for sure the claws).
- Now use a sharp knife (or similar) to insert from where the triangular part was removed.
- Pressing through, remove the inner shell and discard that too.
- You may need to use a hammer to loosen the shell!
- Now take each leg and hammer it lightly, and then remove the thread and discard.
- Check if there is crab butter inside the body. If present, wash the crab very carefully after extracting the butter.
- Add this to the gravy, and it will take the curry to another level.
- Bring a vessel full of water to a boil along with 1 teaspoon each of Salt and Turmeric Powder.
- Add crabs to it and cook for 2 minutes, and then discard the water.
- The crabs will be used safely after this process. This is optional, yet a necessary one. I prefer to avoid stomach problems.
- You Better check the video to understand the process of crab cleaning. In case you are using cleaned and packaged crab, you don't need to follow this step.
- This cleaning process takes around 30 minutes for around 10 crabs. As this is optional, I am not considering it as part of the cooking process.
- You can do this beforehand and store the cleaned crabs in the refrigerator for future use. I generally do that.
Making the Crab Malai Curry
- Take cleaned crabs and marinade them with ½ teaspoon each of Salt and Turmeric Powder and give them a rest for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make a paste of Onions and Tomatoes separately.
- Now heat Mustard Oil in a pan.
- Fry the crabs for 1 minute. While frying, add those in one go as you do not need to deep-fry the crabs, but shallow fry them.
- Once done, strain the crabs from the oil.
- Add half of the ghee to the remaining oil.
- Now temper the Ghee and Oil mix with Bay leaves, Dry Red Chili, Cinnamon Stick, and also Green Cardamom.
- Cook for a minute on a low flame.
- Now add Onion paste and cook till the onion changes color and starts leaving oil from the edges.
- Once done, add ginger and garlic paste and cook till the raw aroma of garlic goes away completely.
- Now add Tomato paste and also green chilies (I cut those in half).
- Mix and cook for 2-3 minutes or till the raw aroma goes away and the mixture leaves oil on the side.
- Now add Red Chili Powder, Sugar, ½ teaspoon Salt, and also ½ of the Bengali Garam Masala, and give a thorough mix.
- Once properly cooked, add coconut milk and mix.
- Add one cup of water and bring it to a boil.
- Now add fried crabs.
- The crabs should be soaked in the gravy, but there should not be excess liquid.
- Bring it to a boil and cook till the gravy and the crabs are on the same level.
- It should take around 5 minutes on medium flame.
- Once done, add the remaining Bengali Garam Masala and remaining Ghee and give a gentle mix.
- Serve the Crab Malai Curry hot with steamed rice.
Notes
- You do not need to boil the crabs and discard the water if using packaged crab.
- In case you are using fresh coconut milk; 2 coconuts will be needed.
- While extracting the milk, use the 2nd level milk (extracted from the scrapped coconut after getting the thick milk) using excess water. In this case, do not add extra water while cooking the gravy.
- As I have used packaged coconut milk, I had to add water for the perfect consistency of the gravy.
- Instead of Bengali Garam Masala, you can use Sahi Garam Masala. However, I do not like spices overpowering crab and hence, I use a lighter spice mix.
Nutrition
Easy Fish and Seafood Recipes from Debjanir Rannaghar
- Malabar Squid Curry (also known as Nadan Koonthal Curry)
- Creamy Butter Garlic Crab
- Chingri Paturi (also known as Bengali Prawn Paturi)
- Chingri Bati Chorchori (also known as Chingri Macher Batichorchori)
- Crab Biryani (also known as Crab Dum Biryani or Nandu Biryani)
- Kakrar Jhal (also known as Bengali Crab Curry)
- Bori Begun Aloo diye Ilish Macher Tel Jhol (also known as Ilisher Tel Jhol)
Have you tried the Narkel Dudh-e Kakra recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar!
Please inform me of your experience, and feel free to send a photo to [email protected]. Additionally, you can find me on various social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, Google News, X, and Thread. Don't forget to use the hashtag #debjanirrannaghar when sharing your attempts at my recipes or if you have any questions or recipe requests.
Here's the Perfect Bengali Crab Malai Curry Recipe Pin for your Pinterest Board!
About Debjani Chatterjee Alam
I am Debjani Chatterjee Alam. A CSR specialist by profession and a food writer, food blogger, and food photographer as well. I live in Kolkata along with my Husband Mehebub who is an architect by profession, my daughter Pasta, and also my dog daughters Coffee and Luchi.
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