Crab Rasam
Contributed by: Vithya Raj
Of all the recipes paati taught my amma, this one is my favourite. Whenever I was feeling under the weather or coming down with a cold, I would pester amma to make it for me.
The feeling of hot soup with its peppery aroma and sweet umami crab flavour flowing down your throat is so yummy and satisfying. While we think of crab dishes as a delicacy, this dish is actually a popular cold remedy from Tamil Naidu. It almost made falling sick worthwhile just so you can enjoy it.
Of course you can enjoy this dish anytime you feel like treating yourself and your family. I do the same – every time I eat it, I am reminded of how much my paati and amma cared for me.
Portion: 4 pax
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 50 mins
Ingredients
• 500g flower crab
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 tbsp oil
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 3 pcs crushed garlic
• 1 sprig of curry leaves
• 6 pcs shallots / small onions
• Small lemon sized ball of tamarind
• Salt as needed
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• Fistful of coriander leaves to garnish
To pound or grind:
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
Method
1. Clean the crab and cut the crab into 4 pieces each if the crabs are huge.
2. Pound or grind the peppercorns, fennel seeds and cumin seeds or add ready-made powders (as mentioned in the ingredient section).
3. Blanch the tomatoes in 1L of boiling water and peel the skin and mash it.
4. Once the tomatoes are cooked and mashed, extract the tamarind juice and set aside.
5. Heat a pan with oil and add mustard seeds, grounded spices and crushed garlic with some curry leaves.
6. Sauté well.
7. Add the mashed tomatoes mixture.
8. Add in the cleaned crabs. Let it simmer till crab is cooked completely.
9. You can add more pepper powder and salt as per your taste preference. (I like it spicier so I love to add crushed black peppercorns before having it to zest up my soup)
10. Garnish with coriander leaves before serving.
Helpful Tips
You can use a masher to mash the tomatoes once it is being blanched. Soak the tamarind in lukewarm water so that it is easier to dissolve. (Just ½ cup of water will do)
We like to use flower crab as it is easier to eat as the shell is soft and the flesh is sweet and succulent.
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