FESTIVE RECIPES | Spice up your Dezemba with a masala and crab dish

In honour of last month’s International Chefs Day, Sibaya Casino & Entertainment Kingdom’s speciality chef Rita Sooklall celebrated the day with a delicious tempura masala soft-shell crab recipe from the kitchen to your home.

Reading about food, cooking food and especially eating food are motivating factors for Sooklall, who brings her passion to life cooking at Sibaya’s kitchen in uMhlanga. The self-taught chef is a proud Durbanite whose culinary journey began at the age of 12, when her father’s love for cooking inspired a love for experimenting in the kitchen.

In preparation for this year’s festive season, we kick off the celebrations with a hearty offering from Sooklall’s repertoire of tasty dishes.

TEMPURA MASALA SOFT SHELL CRAB RECIPE

Inangredients

Crab

2 small soft-shell crabs (150g)

125g flour

125g cornflour

250ml sparkling water

15ml masala spice

2g Salt

2g black pepper

250g rice

375ml water

Chutney

30g oil

150g onion, chopped

365g tomato, chopped

15g masala spice powder

10g curry leaves

10g fresh coriander leaves

5g garlic

5g sugar

3g salt

2g black pepper

Method

Rinse the rice under cold water until clear. Place in a pot, add water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and simmer on a low heat for 10-15 minutes until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender.

For the tempura crab, combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl, then whisk in the sparkling water to form a light batter. Dust the crab lightly in flour, then dip them into the batter. Heat oil in a pot to 180°C and fry the crab for 2–3 minutes until golden and crisp.

For the chutney, heat oil in a pot and sauté the onion for 5 minutes. Add garlic, curry leaves and half the coriander and sauté for 1 minute. Then add masala and sauté for another minute. Add the tomato and sugar, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Once the tomato has broken down, add a splash of water and season with salt and pepper. Continue the cooking until thickened.

To serve, spoon the rice onto a shallow dish, add the chutney, place the crab on top and finish with fresh coriander. Enjoy!