Curry Crab & Dumplings

Curried crab and dumplings are considered the unofficial national dish of Tobago and be found at populat eating spots around the island as well as featured in our traditional Sunday Village Harvest celebrations. We race crabs and we also eat crabs! This recipe was submitted to Cook the Commonwealth by the Tobago Tourism Agency; they say: "Have Fun!".

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Break crabs in halves or quarters depending on the size. Remove any gills. Place crabs into a bowl of water and with a toothbrush; scrub the legs, shells and claws of the crabs paying close attention to remove any dirt or sand that may be present between the crevices of the joints. If there are any fine hairs on the legs, use the back of a paring knife to scrape them away. Wash thoroughly and place crabs back into a bowl. Fill the bowl with water and add the lime juice and baking powder. Mix and allow crabs to sit in this acidulated water to rid of any freshness or smell for about 15 minutes. Rinse crabs and discard water.

Step 2

Using a mallet or heavy object, gently crack the claws of the crab to allow the seasonings to permeate and sauces to get into the shell. Take crabs and season, by adding the salt, black pepper, garlic, green seasoning and both the curry and garam masala powders. Green seasoning is made by food processing all the green seasoning ingredients together. Mix well and toss crabs in seasonings to allow it to coat evenly. Let marinate in chiller for a minimum of 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.

Step 3

Make dumpling dough by adding flour into a medium bowl together with salt and sugar. Mix well adding little water at a time and kneading until a stiff but semi pliable dough forms. Cover and let rest for five minutes. Place a medium high sided sauce pan on high heat and fill half with water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, roll out the dumpling dough to 1/8 of an inch in thickness. Using a cookie cutter or freehand, cut dumplings into 3 inch circles. To the boiling water, add a tsp of salt and insert about 6 – 7 dumplings at a time to boil. Cook for about 5 minutes or until they float to the top. Place cooked dumplings into a clean bowl and drizzle a little vegetable oil over them to prevent them from sticking. Set aside.

Step 4

Place a medium iron pot or sauce pan over high heat. Drizzle in the coconut oil and add cumin seeds and curry leaves. Toast for few seconds then add aromatics; onions, garlic, celery, ginger and jalapenos. Sauté for 1 minute then add your spices; curry, turmeric, cumin and garam masala. Mix and stir well allowing the spices to cook for about 2 minute in the pot over the high heat.

Step 5

Add 180ml of the water and cook this curry paste for 3 minutes covered on medium heat.

Step 6

Add the seasoned crabs to the pot. Stir and toss crabs to allow the curry paste to coat it. Cover and let cook for 5 minutes until the shells of the crab turn a bright orange color.

Step 7

Meanwhile mix the coconut powder with the remaining 4 cups of water. Remove cover after five minutes and add this coconut milk mixture. Mix well ensuring to scrape the bottom of the pot with spoon to remove any caramelized bits

Step 8

Cover and bring to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes, still on medium heat.

Step 9

Remove cover and add the boiled dumplings to the curried crabs. Add the chopped spring onions, chadon beni/coriander and tomatoes. Stir well to allow all the ingredients to amalgamate.

Step 10

Taste sauce and adjust flavour if needed with salt, black pepper or even minced raw pepper if a spicy kick is desired

Step 11

Cook for an additional 3 minutes then remove pot from heat. Let curry crabs rest for a few minutes before eating to allow flavours to settle and enjoy.

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