Keralan crab with Currimbhoy salad
Summary Not available
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- fresh ginger (peeled and finely chopped)
- 1 garlic clove (finely chopped)
- 3 curry leaves (finely shredded)
- 1 green chilli (chopped)
- 1 small red chilli (then drained and finely sliced)
- 2 small shallots (finely chopped)
- fresh coconut (grated)
- 5 tsp chilli powder
- ground turmeric
- white crabmeat (picked and all shell removed)
- 1 plum tomato (finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp coriander leaves (roughly chopped)
- black pepper
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp wine vinegar
- 5 tsp Dijon mustard
- rapeseed oil
- 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 2 green chillies (finely chopped)
- 3 tbsp coriander leaves (roughly chopped)
- 5 . lime (juice only)
- black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 white bread (cut into cubes)
- 4 boiled eggs (roughly chopped to about ½cm/0.2in)
- leafy lettuce (cut into 2.5cm/1in pieces)
- coriander leaves (roughly chopped)
For the Keralan crab, make sure that all the ingredients are prepared before you start cooking
Place the oil in a wok or kadhai (a traditional Indian iron wok) and bring the heat up until it forms a haze
Add a couple of mustard seeds to check if they crackle immediately – take care doing this as they will pop as they hit the pan
When the oil is ready, carefully add the mustard seeds and, if possible, cover the pan with a lid for a few moments to prevent the seeds from flying off and hitting you
As soon as the crackling dies down and the aroma resembles the smell of roasting, add the ginger, garlic, curry leaves and the green and red chillies
As soon as the garlic turns pale, but not deep golden-brown, add the shallots and continue to fry until soft
Add the coconut and fry for 3-4 minutes
Add the chilli powder and ground turmeric
Fry for a further 30 seconds before adding the crabmeat, mixing well with a wooden spoon for a further minute
Add the tomato and coriander and mix to combine
Add salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the Currimbhoy salad, start by making the mayonnaise
Place the egg yolk, vinegar and mustard into a food processor and blend until pale and creamy
With the motor running, gradually pour in the oil in a steady stream until the mayonnaise has thickened
Measure 200g/7oz of the mayonnaise into a large bowl (any remaining mayonnaise should be covered and placed in the fridge – do not keep it for longer than two days)
Add the garlic, chillies, coriander leaves and lime juice to the mayonnaise in the bowl and mix thoroughly
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside
Heat a frying pan until hot and add the olive oil
Add the bread, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and fry for 2-3 minutes or until golden-brown and crisp on all sides
Remove the fried bread (croûtons) from the pan and drain on kitchen paper
Add the chopped eggs and lettuce leaves to the flavoured mayonnaise and mix – take care not to over mix as the lettuce will go limp very rapidly
Add half of the croûtons to the bowl while mixing, reserving the rest for garnish
To serve, pile the salad onto a plate, top with more croûtons and coriander leaves and spoon the crab alongside
Serve immediately
No extra notes