SRI LANKAN CRAB CURRY

SERVES 4

In Sri Lanka, Nigethan was a fisherman who had never set foot in a kitchen. But the civil war and a stint in a refugee camp and then a detention centre transformed him into a keen cook. In fact, he says cooking changed and saved his life while waiting for his wife and child to join him in Australia. He found the best way to recreate the flavours of home was to cook them, and this spiced curry with aromatic curry leaves is the ideal vehicle for crab. Nigethan’s recipe, adapted from his mother’s version to be a little less spicy, is one of the star dishes at his Melbournebased social enterprise called Tamil Feasts.

1 coconut, freshly grated

2½ cups water

50 g tamarind pulp

100–200 ml rice bran oil (or vegetable or coconut oil, depending on the variety of oil and how much you like)

1 tsp brown mustard seeds

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

5 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp cardamom pods

1 large red onion, chopped, plus extra to garnish 1 pandan leaf, cut into 5cm lengths

8 fresh curry leaves

½ fresh cinnamon stick

2 tbsp mild curry powder

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 tbsp ground cumin

4 blue swimmer crabs, cleaned

Coriander leaves to garnish

In a bowl, combine half the coconut and 1 cup of the water and squeeze together with your hands.

Press the mixture through a sieve to get the milk. Repeat the process with the rest of the coconut and another cup of water. You can repeat the process twice with the coconut if more milk is needed. You should end up with 2 cups of coconut milk.

Combine the tamarind and remaining water, squeeze it together and allow to soak for 15–20 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over high heat.

Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, garlic, cardamom pods and onion, and cook for a couple of minutes until the onion has become brown. Add the pandan and fresh curry leaves, cinnamon stick, curry powder, ground turmeric and half the ground cumin.

Season with salt. Stir well then pour in the coconut milk. Add the cleaned crabs and cover with a lid. Simmer for about 10 minutes, making sure every crab is really red.

Add the tamarind liquid and remaining cumin and check the seasoning.

Garnish with coriander and extra red onion.

Serve with rice.