about ajoy
i’ve been a chef for over three decades now! i trained in chennai and started off with the taj hotel group. i’ve owned nilgiri’s indian restaurant in sydney for over 15 years. i’m on a mission to dispel the myth that indian food is no more than a ‘curry in a hurry’! come with me as i try and educate. indian food is my passion (alongside cricket!) and i’m enjoying exploring the new social media to fulfil this passion! i’ve also published cookery books, been on tv, the radio, won awards! now i’m also moving into making cookery videos. these are simple and easy to follow and don’t go on for hours like some Bollywood movies!
This week, folks, I wanted to share with you a very special dish.
Yes, the title may have given you a clue and yes again, it’s crab chettinad!
This dish is so special as it uses black peppercorns in three different ways. So, let’s get cracking!
Step 1:
Apply ground turmeric to the mud crabs.
apply 1/2 tsp turmeric to cleaned and cut crab. This recipe uses about 2 kgs mud crabs. [Turmeric is an excellent antioxidant and reduces any bacteria that might be in the crabs.]
Step 2:
Put cleaned crabs in the fridge whilst you prepare the sauce.
To make the sauce:
heat oil until it just starts smoking, then add 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns; let peppercorns crackle [heating peppercorns this way creates an infusion].
Step 9:
cook till tomatoes are soft and oil leaves the side of the pan.
Step 10:
It’s now time to remove the crab pieces from the fridge.
add crabs and fold gently.
So, all we need to go along with this dish is some soft steamed Basmati rice. (Click Basmati rice to see how to prepare this delicious accompaniment.)
And there you have it. A most versatile spice used in three different ways in the same recipe.
Anah daata sukhi bhaava!!