Sri Lanka Kakuluwo (Crab Curry)
Submitted by drichert
This Sri Lankan kakuluwo simmers blanched crab in a spiced coconut gravy thickened with grated coconut and ground rice. Fenugreek, curry leaves, and lime make it unmistakably island-style.
YIELD
1 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
10 minREADY
30 minIf you have ever wondered what Sri Lankans do with fresh crab, this is your answer. Kakuluwo is bold, messy, and completely irresistible.
Blanched crabs cook in thin coconut milk with shallots, green chilies, garlic, ginger, and a warm spice blend of fenugreek, turmeric, and curry powder. A cinnamon stick simmers alongside, adding its quiet sweetness to the briny crab.
The gravy gets its distinctive body from thick coconut milk blended with grated coconut and ground rice, which thickens everything into a sauce that clings to every shell and crevice.
A squeeze of fresh lime and a shower of cilantro right before serving make the whole thing sing.
Chef Tips
- Lightly crack the shells before adding the crab to the pot so the spiced gravy can seep into the meat
- Use freshly grated coconut if you can find it; the texture and flavor are far superior to desiccated
- Ground rice is the secret thickener here. Mix it into the thick coconut milk before adding to prevent clumps
- Serve with plenty of napkins and a side of hot white rice or crusty bread for soaking up the gravy
Ingredients
Directions
Place crabs in boiling water for 5 minutes, then remove and clean.
Break the crab into desired portions and crush the shell a bit so flesh can be more easily removed.
Slice the shallots and chiles, grind garlic and ginger and grate the coconut.
Place the crab in a pan and add the shallots, chiles, garlic, ginger, turmeric, fenugreek, chile powder, paprika powder, cinnamon stick, curry powder, curry leaves, coriander leaves and thin coconut milk and cook until crabs are done.
Mix the thick coconut milk with the lime juice, salt, grated coconut and the ground rice and add to the pan.
Stir and simmer for approximately 10 minutes.
Remove the cinnamon stick before serving.
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