Singaporean Chilli Crab recipe with step by step pictures. Spicy, sweet, tangy drool worthy Singaporean crab made using fresh ingredients which goes well with fried mantou.
Singaporean Chilli Crab Recipe
Making Singaporean chilli crab at home is on my bucket list for a very long time. Last week when hubby bought me some fresh crab, I immediately got into action.
I have tried this dish during my Singapore trips and really loved the taste and flavour. So I did this recipe based on my tasting experience. To my surprise it turned out to be super yum and finger licking good. We enjoyed a bowl of Singaporean crab with some toasted buns.
Table of Contents
About Singaporean chilli crab recipe
Chili crab was created in Singapore in the 1950s by Cher Yam Tian. This was the dish which she came up with in her own kitchen when cooking for her family and friends which became an instant hit. They opened their first restaurant, Palm Beach Seafood. Since then, this dish has become very popular across Singapore.
Chilli crab is made with a bunch of fresh produce and sauces which create the balance of taste. The chilli crab is spicy, slightly sweet, tangy all at the same time which made it an instant hit. Later people started adapting from the original recipe and started adding their own twist on it. Singaporean prawn is another popular recipe across Singapore which uses prawns instead of crab.
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Chilli Crab Dish is So Popular
Mud crabs are used in this dish. But any crab can be used as long as you crack the crab legs to make sure the sauce penetrates into the crab.
Singaporean chilli crab is made by sautéing a spice paste made with onions(shallots), lots of garlic, ginger and chillies. Mud crabs from srilanka is used in this dish, but any crab can be added. Condiments like soy sauce, tomato paste, tomato ketchup is added.
The crab dish is adjusted with seasonings like salt and sugar to balance the taste. Finally it is thickened with cornstarch slurry and beaten egg. This Singaporean crab is traditionally served with a fried steamed bun called as mantou.
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Ingredients for Singaporean Chilli Crab Recipe
- Chicken Stock
- Mud or Dungeness crabs (prepared)
- Salt to taste
- Sugar
- Red Chilli Sauce
- Soy Sauce
- Tomato Ketchup
- Cornstarch
- Egg
- Coriander leaves
- Peanut Oil
- Onion or Shallots
- Garlic peeled
- Ginger peeled
- Dry Red chillies
How to Make Singaporean Chilli Crab at Home
Preparing Crab
Fresh mud crab or any variety of crab is used. Take your crabs and clean as you normally do (check my video for detailed instructions). You can ask your fish monger to clean the crab for you.
Spice paste for chilli crab
If you are using fresh red chillies then you can skip this step. I like to use dry red chillies which I always have on hand. So I soaked the dry red chillies in hot water for 10 mins.
Take peeled onions or shallots in a food processor. Add in garlic, ginger, soaked dry red chillies and puree it into a coarse puree. Set aside till use.
Prepreparation
Mix ¼ cup of cold water with 2 tsp cornstarch and set aside. Whisk 1 egg and set this aside. If you are using chicken stock cube, mix it with some hot water and set aside. Chop up a bunch of coriander leaves.
Making Chilli Crab
Now let’s make chilli crab. Heat a wok on high heat. Now add in the spice paste which we made. Cook the spice paste for 3 to 4 mins on medium high heat so the raw smell leaves and the spice paste gets cooked.
Add in salt and sugar and stir for 1 min more. Now add in the cleaned crab while reserving the top shell which we will be using later. Pour in the chicken stock and mix well. Cover the wok with a lid and cook for 5 to 6 mins. Once the time is up, open the lid and stir in red chilli sauce, tomato ketchup and soy sauce. Mix it well. Now add in the crab shell and gently spoon the sauce over it. Cover again and cook for 4 more mins.
Finishing Chilli Crab
Now open the lid and stir in the cornstarch slurry little at a time and give a good mix. The sauce will thicken instantly. Add in beaten egg slowly and half of the coriander leaves. Mix it once and simmer for 30 more seconds while mixing gently. Now turn off the heat. Add the final half of the coriander leaves and mix well.
Serve with rice, toasted bread, steamed buns or mantou.
Video for Chilli Crab Recipe
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Chilli Crab Recipe | Singaporean Chilli Crab Recipe | Singaporean Crab Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Large Wok with Lid (any Deep Pot)
Ingredients
- 2 Mud or Dungeness crabs prepared (around 750 grams)
- 500 ml Chicken Stock
- Salt (to taste)
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 2 tbsp Red Chilli Sauce
- 2 tsp Soy Sauce
- ½ cup Tomato Ketchup
- 2 tsp Cornstarch
- 1 Egg
- Coriander leaves A handful
- ¼ cup Peanut Oil
For Spice Paste
- 1 large Onion (10 Shallots)
- 20 Cloves Garlic peeled
- 2 inch Ginger peeled
- 15 to 20 Dry Red chillies
Instructions
Preparing Crab
- Fresh mud crab or any variety of crab is used. Take your crabs and clean as you normally do (check my video for detailed instructions). You can ask your fish monger to clean the crab for you.
- Or if you are preparing the crab, follow my video for detailed steps. First open the top hard shell of the crab with the help of the flap which is located in the back of the crab. Reserve the crab shell which we will be using for the recipe. You can rinse it once under running tap water to remove any sand, grits or slimy stuff. Now remove the gills of the crab and wash the crab under running water to remove the slimy stuff present in the centre.
- If your crab is large in size, you might need to remove the crab claws separately for easy mixing the dish. Remove the ends of the crab legs which practically doesn’t have any meat. Once the crab is prepared, use a meat mallet or back of your knife to crack the crab legs a little so the sauce or juices can penetrate into the legs. Set this aside till use.
Spice paste for chilli crab
- If you are using fresh red chillies then you can skip this step. I like to use dry red chillies which I always have on hand. So I soaked the dry red chillies in hot water for 10 mins. You can remove the seeds from the dry red chillies if you want to cut down the spice level. Remove the stems from the dry red chillies and tap of the dried seeds from it. Now you can soak the chillies in hot water for 10 mins to dehydrate the chillies.
- Take peeled onions or shallots in a food processor. Add in garlic, ginger, soaked dry red chillies and puree it into a coarse puree. Set aside till use.
Prepreparation
- Mix ¼ cup of cold water with 2 tsp cornstarch and set aside.
- Whisk 1 egg and set this aside.
- If you are using chicken stock cube, mix it with some hot water and set aside.
- Chop up a bunch of coriander leaves.
Making Chilli Crab
- Now let’s make chilli crab. Heat a wok on high heat. Add in oil and spread it on all sides of the wok to season the wok. Let the oil heat. Now add in the spice paste which we made. Cook the spice paste for 3 to 4 mins on medium high heat so the raw smell leaves and the spice paste gets cooked.
- Add in salt and sugar and stir for 1 min more. Now add in the cleaned crab while reserving the top shell which we will be using later. Now toss the crab into the masala and stir fry for 2 mins. Now pour in the chicken stock and mix well. Cover the wok with a lid and cook for 5 to 6 mins.
- Once the time is up, open the lid and stir in red chilli sauce, tomato ketchup and soy sauce. Mix it well. Now add in the crab shell and gently spoon the sauce over it. Cover again and cook for 4 more mins.
- Now open the lid and stir in the cornstarch slurry little at a time and give a good mix. The sauce will thicken instantly. Add in beaten egg slowly and half of the coriander leaves. Mix it once and simmer for 30 more seconds while mixing gently. Now turn off the heat. Add the final half of the coriander leaves and mix well.
- Serve with rice, toasted bread, steamed buns or mantou.
Video
Notes
- I used dry red chillies in this recipe. But if you can find fresh red chillies, you can use that.
- The amount of chillies can be increased or decreased depending on your taste preferences.
- Cooking chilli crab in a large pot or wok is recommended because you need some room to stir all the crabs.
- Tomato paste can be added or fresh tomatoes can be added for more tanginess.
- Thai Red Chillies can be used as well.
- If you don’t have chicken stock, you can add some veg stock or water.
- Sugar, salt level can be adjusted as per your taste.
- I used onions, but shallots are used in the original recipe.
- Cracking the crab legs are important because it make eating this dish more easy and the flavours will penetrate into the legs.
- Making this dish at home allows you to adjust the sweetness/heat level.
- Crabs need to be rinsed well, cleaned, and cut into pieces.
- I keep the creamy part inside the top shell for the extra crab flavor it lends to the dish.
- Take care when eating the sauce—it may have bits of shell!
Serving Suggestions
Singaporean chilli crab can be served with some rice, toasted bread, buns or mantou.Nutrition
Chilli Crab Recipe Step by Step Pictures
1)Fresh mud crab or any variety of crab is used. Take your crabs and clean as you normally do (check my video for detailed instructions). You can ask your fish monger to clean the crab for you.
2)Remove gills from the crab
3)Rinse it well and cut in half.
4)Crack the crab legs and set aside.
6)Crabs are prepared.
7)Ingredients for spice paste.
8)If you are using fresh red chillies then you can skip this step. I like to use dry red chillies which I always have on hand. So I soaked the dry red chillies in hot water for 10 mins.
9)Take peeled onions or shallots in a food processor. Add in garlic, ginger, soaked dry red chillies and puree it into a coarse puree.
10)Set aside till use.
11)Now let’s make chilli crab. Heat a wok on high heat. Add in oil and spread it on all sides of the wok to season the wok. Let the oil heat.
12)Now add in the spice paste which we made.
13)Cook the spice paste for 3 to 4 mins on medium high heat so the raw smell leaves and the spice paste gets cooked.
14)Add in salt and sugar and stir for 1 min more.
15)Now add in the cleaned crab while reserving the top shell which we will be using later.
16)Now pour in the chicken stock and mix well.
17)Cover the wok with a lid and cook for 5 to 6 mins.
18)Once the time is up, open the lid add in the crab shell
19)Add chilli sauce
20)Add in soy sauce.
21)Add in tomato ketchup.
22)Mix it gently and cook for another 5 mins.
23)Now open the lid and stir in the cornstarch slurry little at a time and give a good mix. The sauce will thicken instantly.
24)Add in beaten egg slowly.
25)Add half of the coriander leaves.
26)Mix it once and simmer for 30 more seconds while mixing gently. Now turn off the heat.
27)Add the final half of the coriander leaves and mix well.
28)Singaporean chilli crab is done.
29)Serve with rice, toasted bread, steamed buns or mantou.
Tips & Tricks
- I used dry red chillies in this recipe. But if you can find fresh red chillies, you can use that.
- The amount of chillies can be increased or decreased depending on your taste preferences.
- Cooking chilli crab in a large pot or wok is recommended because you need some room to stir all the crabs.
- Tomato paste can be added or fresh tomatoes can be added for more tanginess.
- Thai Red Chillies can be used as well.
Make Best Singaporean Chilli Crab with these tips
- If you don’t have chicken stock, you can add some veg stock or water.
- Sugar, salt level can be adjusted as per your taste.
- I used onions, but shallots are used in the original recipe.
- Cracking the crab legs are important because it make eating this dish more easy and the flavours will penetrate into the legs.
- Making this dish at home allows you to adjust the sweetness/heat level.
- Crabs need to be rinsed well, cleaned, and cut into pieces.
- I keep the creamy part inside the top shell for the extra crab flavor it lends to the dish.
- Take care when eating the sauce—it may have bits of shell!
Serving Suggestions
Singaporean chilli crab can be served with some rice, toasted bread, buns or mantou.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Clean Crab for Making Chilli Crab?
1)Fresh mud crab or any variety of crab is used. Take your crabs and clean as you normally do (check my video for detailed instructions). You can ask your fish monger to clean the crab for you.
2)if you are preparing the crab, follow my video for detailed steps. First open the top hard shell of the crab with the help of the flap which is located in the back of the crab. Reserve the crab shell which we will be using for the recipe. You can rinse it once under running tap water to remove any sand, grits or slimy stuff. Now remove the gills of the crab and wash the crab under running water to remove the slimy stuff present in the centre.
3)If your crab is large in size, you might need to remove the crab claws separately for easy mixing the dish. Remove the ends of the crab legs which practically doesn’t have any meat. Once the crab is prepared, use a meat mallet or back of your knife to crack the crab legs a little so the sauce or juices can penetrate into the legs. Set this aside till use.
Can I used fresh red chillies in this dish?
Fresh red chillies, Thai red chillies can be used in this dish.
How do you eat Singapore chilli crab?
Chilli crab can be eaten anyway you prefer. Some prefer removing the crab meat with chopsticks or fingers. You might also need something to crack open into the crab shell. In my experience relishing this dish needs patience and time since it takes a good amount of time to crack into the crab. Singaporean chilli crab can be served with some rice, toasted bread, buns or mantou.
Is chilli crab Singaporean or Malaysian?
Chilli crab is a Southeast Asian seafood dish that originated in Singapore in the 1950s.
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