Sumptuous Fest with Chilli Crabs at Your Favourite Seafood Restaurants

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by: wyantchen
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Word Count: 500
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2011 Time: 5:48 AM
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The wildly popular CHILLI CRAB, unofficially- but widely-accepted national dish of Singapore, traces its illustrious history from a humble past. An enterprising businesswoman put a hawker stall right on the seashore some 60 years ago, she worked laboriously from dusk till dawn, using a kerosene lamp to light her place of business. One of her specialities? No, it's not the fact that she was on a beach and using obsolete kerosene lighting. This setup made a mark in history, becoming a 'shrine' if you will, because the first chilli crab sprang from this humble origin.

Real estate development has erased the original stall, but the culinary trail it blazed will remain forever. Nothing though has changed in the savoury goodness that comes with the preparation of chilli crab. It can be widely found at Malaysian and Singaporean seafood hawker stalls, kopi tiams or restaurants. But for those who may be put off by the 'hot' name - worry not for chilli crab is not a very spicy preparation.

The crabs are stir fried in a chilli sauce, though the chef first has to steam or lightly fry it in ginger before this. Also, the shells are cracked a little prior to cooking, to facilitate eating later. Usually, the crabs are garnished with cilantro.

Nowadays, the dish has many incarnations - some are packed with fresh spices, some are sweet-sour with tomato, others are ribboned with beaten egg, and others carry the sting of chilli oil. All are meant to be attacked with gusto - and a nutcracker to tackle thick shells, plus a few slices of French bread or Chinese buns to help you soak up every drop of delicious sauce. You won't waste a drop of its saucy goodness with bread: steamed or fried mantou, French loaves, toasted sliced bread. Plain white rice may be eaten with chilli crabs too.

Somewhat overshadowed by the popularity of the chilli crab is the BLACK PEPPER CRAB. It is made with hard-shell crabs, and cooked in a thick gravy made with black pepper. Many locals and tourists though favour the black pepper crab over the chilli crab, mainly because of its somewhat drier and more aromatic nature. A new trend is to mix the crab with jackfruit sauce. It has, however, not made it into the nomination list for Singapore's National Food. Since the 1980s' black pepper crab was steadily gaining popularity, and now most crustacean-themed restaurants offer crabs stir-fried with black peppercorns along with chilli crab.

SEAFOOD RESTAURANTS

Venture and explore other seafood specialties. From morning to high-tea each day, indulge yourself in dim sum specialties.. If that is not enough, take your pick at a spread of seafood dishes. Dine out with seafood preparations from seafood restaurants. Not just that, some seafood restaurants also offer the 'Tapino' dining style - a traditional Cantonese practice where friends and family gather to cook and reminisce over a pot of hot soup.

About the Author

HUNGRY NOW FOR SINGAPOREAN FOOD? Check out these items for a mouth-watering feast: Fried Dim Sum, Shrimp Dumpling, Spring Roll. Also, try Black Pepper Crab, Sri Lankan Crabs for your seafood pig out! Bon appetit!