Crab Claws Curry

 

Crab Claws Curry

Rock crab claws at our local supermarket looked so clean and tempting. There was a little over a pound of claws in the package which was perfect because I will be the only one eating them. Hubby is not fond of anything that has to be picked at, so a simple filleted fish curry will suit him.

Cooking the Crab Claws

A few tips before I dive into the recipe. First of all, make sure to use a nut cracker to crack the claws, and break apart each segment before cooking. It was a mess doing that while eating. Secondly, the claws came frozen and I dropped them into the gravy as is. They thawed and cooked over medium-low heat to perfection. And last but not least, I loved cooking them this way because this is a dump-and-go recipe. Make sure the gravy ingredients are minced so that the gravy comes out smooth and delicious when cooked. 

This is best served with hot, steamed rice.

Serving Suggestion

Burmese Meat Curry - အသားဟင်း a thaa hin

 

Burmese Meat Curry

I call this Meat Curry because the recipe can be used to cook any kind of meat. Beef Curry is called Ametha Hin and Pork Curry is called Wetha Hin. I used lamb leg, but I don't know what lamb is called in Burmese. One translation calls it Soetha Hin, but I'm not sure if that's correct.

The process is pretty simple and all the ingredients are readily available. Pieces of meat are marinated in a coarse paste of onions, garlic, tomatoes and paprika or soaked dried chilies. I used a pressure cooker to tenderize the meat for half an hour, but it can also be simmered on the stovetop for 2 hours. If a pressure cooker is used, it should be removed from the heat and left undisturbed (after the half hour of cooking) to de-pressurize naturally, which takes 15-20 minutes. After all the steam dissipates and depending on how much liquid remains, the curry needs to be simmered to reduce the gravy until the oil resurfaces.