Chilli crab

Name: Chilli crab
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 people
Cuisine: Singaporean
Ingredients: 1.5 kg Whole crab, 2 live mud crabs, or 2 freshly cooked brown crabs, cleaned and cut into pieces, claws cracked; 8 piece Fresh chilli, red, 6 for the paste, 2 for heat; deseed for mild; 6 clove Garlic; 30 g Ginger; 4 piece Shallot; 1 tsp Shrimp paste, toasted; 120 g Tomato ketchup; 1 tbsp Tomato purée; 3 tbsp Sriracha, or Southeast Asian chilli sauce; 2 tbsp Sugar; 1.5 tbsp Vinegar, rice or white; 1 tbsp Soy sauce; 400 ml Chicken stock, or water; 1.5 tbsp Potato or corn starch, mixed with 3 tbsp water; 2 piece Egg, lightly beaten; 3 tbsp Neutral oil; 2 piece Spring onion, sliced, to serve; 1 handful Coriander, to serve; 8 piece Bun, mantou, steamed or fried, to serve

辣椒螃蟹

Singapore's wok-fried crab in a sweet, tangy tomato-chilli gravy thickened with egg, eaten with fried buns.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: 辣椒螃蟹.

Start cooking

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 20 min
Rest: None
Total: 50 min
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Medium heat
Cost: Treat yourself$28+ USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

About

Chilli crab is a whole crab, cut up and stir-fried in a sauce that is more sweet and sour than hot: tomato, chilli, garlic, ginger and shallot, finished with beaten egg swirled through the gravy so it goes silky and clings to the shell. The sauce matters more than the heat level, and you will want fried or steamed mantou buns to mop it up. Buy a live mud crab if you can and dispatch it humanely; a freshly cooked brown crab or Dungeness crab from the fishmonger works with a shorter cooking time. Give everyone a cracker, a pick, and a lot of napkins.

What you'll need

19 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 19 ready

4 servings

Ingredients

Servings

Whole crab, 2 live mud crabs, or 2 freshly cooked brown crabs, cleaned and cut into pieces, claws cracked1½ kg
Fresh chilli, red, 6 for the paste, 2 for heat; deseed for mild8
Garlic6 clove
Ginger30 g
Shallot4
Shrimp paste, toasted (optional)4.9 ml
Tomato ketchup120 g
Tomato purée15 ml
Sriracha, or Southeast Asian chilli sauce44 ml
Sugar30 ml
Vinegar, rice or white22 ml
Soy sauce15 ml
Chicken stock, or water400 ml
Potato or corn starch, mixed with 3 tbsp water22 ml
Egg, lightly beaten2
Neutral oil44 ml
Spring onion, sliced, to serve2
Coriander, to serve1 handful
Bun, mantou, steamed or fried, to serve8

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
If using live crab, chill it in the freezer for 20 minutes, then kill it with a firm knife thrust through the underside. Pull off the top shell, remove the gills and stomach sac, halve or quarter the body and crack the claws with the back of a cleaver.
15 min
Watch: Crack claws before cooking. Nobody can do it at the table without a hammer.
Step 2
Blend 6 chillies, garlic, ginger, shallot and shrimp paste to a paste with a splash of oil.
5 min
Step 3
Heat the oil in a large wok until hot. Fry the paste for 3 minutes, stirring, until it smells cooked and turns a shade darker.
3 min
Step 4
Add ketchup, tomato puree, chilli sauce, sugar, vinegar, soy and stock. Bring to a boil and taste. It should be sweet first, then sour, then warm.
3 min
Step 5
Add the crab pieces and the remaining sliced chilli. Cover and cook, turning the pieces twice, until the shells are bright red and the meat is opaque: 8 to 10 minutes for raw crab, 4 minutes for pre-cooked.
10 min
Step 6
Stir in the cornflour slurry to thicken. Drizzle the beaten egg over the bubbling sauce and leave it 20 seconds before folding through in ribbons. Scatter spring onion and coriander. Serve with buns.
3 min
Tip: Do not stir the egg in straight away or it vanishes into the sauce. You want visible silky strands.

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 630 kcal
Protein: 77.3 g
Carbs: 36.6 g
Fat: 19 g
Saturated fat: 3 g
Fibre: 3 g
Sugar: 18.5 g
Sodium: 2205 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Shellfish
Eggs
Wheat
Soy

Dairy-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.

Substitutions

Whole crab → 600 g large shell-on prawns
A cheaper weeknight version. Cook only 3 minutes in the sauce.

Tips

Fry shop-bought mantou in 2 cm of oil until golden. Steamed is lighter; fried is better with this sauce.
Ask the fishmonger to clean and cut the crab if you would rather not. Cook it the same day.
Plan on 350 to 400 g of crab per person. It is mostly shell.

History & culture

Seafood restaurants on the East Coast serve it on paper-covered tables with buckets for shells and a bib. It is celebration food: birthdays, visiting relatives, closing a deal. Locals argue about black pepper crab versus chilli crab the way others argue about football. Tourists are told it is the national dish, and Singaporeans do not entirely disagree.

Cher Yam Tian and her husband Lim Choon Ngee are credited with inventing it around 1956, selling crab stir-fried with bottled chilli and tomato sauce from a pushcart that became the Palm Beach restaurant. Hooi Kok Wai of Dragon Phoenix restaurant added sambal, vinegar and the egg finish in the 1960s, which is the version served today.

Traditional — Restaurant versions use fermented soybean paste (taucheo) in the sauce; it is optional here. Mantou buns are usually bought, not made.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Chilli crab take?

50 min all in — 30 min prep, 20 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 4 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Medium.

How spicy is it?

Medium heat.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Shellfish, Eggs, Wheat, Soy. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free.

10 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

Treat yourself — about $28+ USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Wok, Chef's knife, Blender.

How much salt do I put in?

This recipe does not list salt as its own ingredient. Saltiness comes from Soy sauce — 1 tbsp. Taste at the end rather than adding a number we did not write.

How much sugar?

2 tbsp of Sugar.

How much vinegar?

1½ tbsp (rice or white) of Vinegar.

How much soy sauce?

1 tbsp of Soy sauce.

What can I use instead?

Whole crab → 600 g large shell-on prawns. A cheaper weeknight version. Cook only 3 minutes in the sauce.

What should I watch for?

Crack claws before cooking. Nobody can do it at the table without a hammer.

Any tips from this recipe?

Fry shop-bought mantou in 2 cm of oil until golden. Steamed is lighter; fried is better with this sauce. Ask the fishmonger to clean and cut the crab if you would rather not. Cook it the same day. Plan on 350 to 400 g of crab per person. It is mostly shell.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.