Chilaw Crab Curry – 75-Minute Recipe
Chilaw Crab Curry is a vibrant Sri Lankan seafood dish where fresh crab is bathed in a fragrant, stone‑ground spice blend and rich coconut milk. The use of a clay pot and freshly extracted coconut milk gives it an authentic coastal flavor, perfect for a hearty dinner.
Recipe by Skiz Fernando (Skiz's Original) · Structured by ReelsMeals
From: YouTube(view original)
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Prep Time
Cook Time
Servings
Ingredients
- 4 pcs sea crabs, cleaned and cracked
- 4 cardamom pods
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 10 curry leaves
- 1 tsp sweet fennel seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 green chilies
- 4 tbsp red chili powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- sea salt, to taste
- 1 7/10 cups fresh coconut milk
- 3 1/2 oz shredded fresh coconut
Instructions
- 1Clean the crabs, remove gills and guts, and crack the shells so the curry can penetrate the meat.
- 2Grind the cardamom pods, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, sweet fennel seeds, mustard seeds, and curry leaves together in a stone grinder until a fine paste forms.
- 3Shred fresh coconut and squeeze it to extract coconut milk; set the milk aside and keep the shredded coconut for later use.
- 4Heat the coconut oil in a clay pot over medium heat, then add the thinly sliced onion, minced garlic, sliced green chilies, and the ground spice paste; sauté until the aromatics are fragrant and the onion softens.
- 5Stir in the red chili powder, turmeric powder, and sea salt, mixing quickly to prevent the spices from burning.
- 6Pour the fresh coconut milk into the pot, bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, and then add the prepared crabs.
- 7Simmer the crab curry for 15–20 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld and the sauce to thicken; taste and adjust salt if needed.
- 8Serve the hot crab curry with steamed rice and optional accompaniments such as papadam, pickles, or raita.
Helpful tips while cooking
AI-assisted notes grounded in this recipe's ingredients, timings, and method—not additional creator instructions.
Grind spices to a fine paste first
Prepare the spice paste before heating the pot.
Sauté aromatics until onion softens
Cook onion, garlic, and chilies until the onion is soft before adding powders.
Add chili, turmeric, and salt quickly
Stir in red chili powder, turmeric, and sea salt rapidly to prevent burning.
Simmer crab for 15–20 minutes
Let the crab cook in the coconut milk for 15–20 minutes until the sauce thickens.
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Cooking context
1 hr 15 min estimated total time for 4 servings.
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Frequently asked questions
- How long does it take to make Chilaw Crab Curry?
- About 1 hour 15 minutes in total: 30 minutes of prep and 45 minutes of cooking.
- How many servings does this Chilaw Crab Curry recipe make?
- This recipe makes 4 servings as written; ingredient quantities on this page can be scaled.
- Where does this Chilaw Crab Curry recipe come from?
- It was shared by Skiz Fernando (Skiz's Original) on youtube.com. ReelsMeals structured the original post into this step-by-step card; the original is linked above.