Crabs Masala | Goan Crab Curry | Crab Tonak

"Kulyachem Tonak" or Crab Curry is a delicacy in Goan homes. Many people asked me for the recipe of authentic Goan Crab Masala, so I thought I should share this with you all. This is a spicy gravy with coconut and crabs. The more you cook crabs in the curry, the more flavorful it will be. We also make rava fried crabs in Goa and they turn crispy and delicious.

My hubby got crabs from More megastore. Thankfully he got them cut. My duty was only to cook them. I made this delicious curry and he loved it. He kept on telling me that his Mom makes in the same way and that the taste is awesome. You can substitute crabs for prawns too in this curry. Serve this with chapatis or rice.

Sometimes plan to surprise your fish eating guests by making this curry. Why always make chicken/mutton when guests arrive? Just surprise them with this authentic Goan crabs curry. I am sure they will be impressed and they too will remember the meal.

 Prep. Time: 45 Min's, Serves: 4



Ingredients:                                             
For marinating the crabs:
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 crabs

For the curry:
1 cup grated coconut
1 medium sized onion
1 medium sized tomato
5 garlic pods
1 tsp coriander/dhaniya seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek/methi seeds
5 peppercorns/kali mirch
2 cloves/laung
3 dry red chillies
1 inch piece of tamarind
1 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste

Procedure:
Break the crab into 2 pieces. Break the claws.

Wash the crabs and marinate with the masala meant for marination and keep aside for 30 Min's.

For the curry:
In a kadai/wok,fry chopped onions and when they turn pinkish, add the dry masala consisting of coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, peppercorns and cloves and roast for 5 Min's on low heat.
Add garlic and fry till the raw smell of garlic goes away.
Add grated coconut and fry till the grated coconut becomes brownish.
Add tamarind and switch off the gas.
After cooling, grind this by adding 1 cup or sufficient water needed to grind it into a gravy.

Now the kadai/wok will be empty as the contents have been ground.
In the same empty kadai, fry chopped onions and when they turn pinkish add chopped tomato and saute till tomatoes turn mushy.
Add the marinated crabs and fry for sometime(2-3 Min's).
Pour the ground masala curry over the crabs onion and tomato mixture and mix the gravy well with the crabs.
Let the crabs get cooked nicely for 20 Min's into the gravy.

Adjust salt and switch off the heat.




Note:
The longer you fry the crabs into the masala gravy, the tastier will be the curry.
Also keep in mind that the more you cook crabs, the meat will get dissolved in curry. So take care while cooking crabs.
Add slightly less salt, as the crabs have been marinated with salt and it releases salt into the curry.
I got the crabs cut from the fish stall. If you don't know how to cut crabs, refer to videos on YouTube or google them.