Chilli crab is a popular seafood dish in Malaysia and Singapore, made with hard shell crabs cooked in a tomato sauce seasoned with chilies. It can be adapted with different spices and served sweet and sour. It is often served family-style with mantou buns or French bread to soak up the sauce. It is also available in some Western seafood restaurants.
Next time you’re in Malaysia or Singapore, make sure you have the chilli crab, a local delicacy, for at least one meal. While there is some controversy as to whether this seafood dish originated in Singapore or Malaysia, it is a wonderful culinary delight to be enjoyed in either location. It is a very popular product in most of the seafood restaurants in these countries.
Chili crab is made with hard shell crabs that are cooked in a thick tomato sauce that is seasoned with chilies. The chili oil in the dish makes it a special treat for diners who enjoy spicy dishes. The sauce actually serves as a kind of gravy and is generally served in generous quantities so that the crabs are at least partially submerged. Due to the size of this appetizer, chili crab is almost always served family style, meaning the dish is meant to be enjoyed by everyone at the table.
As chili crab has become a very popular dish in Southeast Asia, it has been adapted to appeal to many different palates. In some places it is served with spices other than traditional chilies. For example, chili crab can be made with turmeric, galangal, ginger, or a combination of these spices.
Although chili is traditionally a spicy dish, it is sometimes served as a sweet and sour dish. You can also find this type of crab dish that is served with egg beaten or mixed into the sauce or served with the crab. However, nearly all variations on the chili crab theme include at least a touch of chilies or chili oil.
Since the sauce in which the dish is served is so delicious, it has become customary to serve chilli crab with mantou in some places. Mantou are a kind of Chinese buns used to soak up the sauce. Some restaurants break with tradition and serve a kind of fusion culinary dish by serving the crab with slices of French bread instead of a side of mantou.
While Malaysia and Singapore may be the best places to have authentic chili crab, there are traditional restaurants outside of these countries where you can try the dish. Many large Western cities have at least one restaurant serving such dishes from the Southeast Asian region. In fact, some Western seafood restaurants have added this popular crab dish to their menus.
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