Ingredients:

• To Dry Roast:
• Desiccated Coconut – 100 grams
• Pepper Powder – ½ tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
• Cloves – 5 nos
• Cardamom – 5 nos
• Cinnamon – 1 inch stick
• Star-anise – 1 no
• Jeera (Cumin) – ½ tsp
• Red dried Chilli – 20 nos
• Curry leaf – 1sprig
• To Sauté:
• Onion – 1 large
• Tomatoes – 2 ripe
• Ginger – Garlic Paste – 2 tbsp
• Water – 200 ml
• To Cook:
• Crab – 700 grams
• Water – to cover Crabs
• Oil – 2 tbsp
• Salt – to taste
• Curry leaves – 4 sprigs

Method:

1. Clean the crabs.
2. Finely slice tomatoes and onion and store separately.
3. Clean and pat dry the curry leaves
4. Dry roast all the ingredients under ‘to dry roast’ for about 5 – 8 minutes on low flame, till the raw tastes disappears and you get the fine aroma of the roasted ingredients.
5. Transfer to a grinder and dry grind when warm.
6. Heat oil in a non-stick pan and sauté onion till translucent.
7. Add tomatoes and ginger-garlic paste and stir till the oil separates.
8. Transfer to the grinder with 200 ml water and grind to a smooth paste, along with the powdered ingredients in step 1.
9. In an earthen-ware, heat 1 tbsp oil.
10. Stir in the curry leaves, till it curl.
11. Spread the crab, evenly in the pot. Mix in the ground paste, add water to cover the crabs, cover and bring to boil.
12. Simmer on low flame for 15 minutes.