Jaffna crab curry

As tradition built it

Serves 4. About 45 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 kg crab, cleaned and cut into portions, claws cracked
• 3 tbsp Jaffna curry powder
• 400 ml thick coconut milk
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 thumb ginger, finely chopped
• A sprig curry leaves
• 1 pandan leaf, tied in a knot
• 4 to 6 drumstick (moringa) pods, cut into lengths, where available
• 2 tbsp tamarind pulp, soaked and strained
• To taste salt

Method

1. Fry the onion, garlic, ginger and curry leaves in a little oil in a clay pot or heavy pan until the onion is soft and starting to colour.
2. Stir in the curry powder and cook for a minute, just enough to release its aroma without catching.
3. Add the crab pieces and toss to coat in the spiced onion.
4. Pour in the coconut milk, add the pandan leaf and drumstick pods, and bring to a bare simmer.
5. Cook uncovered for around 25 to 30 minutes, until the crab is fully cooked and the sauce has thickened and reduced.
6. Stir in the tamarind pulp and salt to taste in the final few minutes.

Notes

No source consulted for this chapter gave a single, fixed curry powder quantity as settled fact, in keeping with the Jaffna tradition of tailoring heat per household; the amount above should be treated as a starting point to be adjusted, not a precise figure.

What a modern chef changes

A curry powder roasted the same day, and a sauce reduced rather than thickened with flour.

Rung 1

Method

1. Roast the Jaffna curry powder's component spices yourself that same morning, following Rung 1, rather than using a shop bought tin, for the depth this dish is named for.
2. Reduce the coconut milk separately, at a bare simmer, before the crab goes in, concentrating its flavour so the final sauce clings rather than pools.
3. Finish with a squeeze of lime rather than more tamarind, for a brighter, cleaner final lift against the dish's density.