Peethala Pulusu / Crab cooked in Tamarind Sauce // Crab legs(Chelipeds) Pulp Curry

I have craving to cook crab for my husband as he love crab curry. So last time when I went to India I learned how to clean and cook crab. After coming back to Dallas I found two types of crabs in Chinese market. One is blue crab and it's size is almost the same as Indian crab. The other one  is very big compared to Indian crab but same in color and one of my friend told me that this one will taste good when fried. I doubted to buy blue crabs for many months as I don't know how they taste, but When I tasted them in one Chinese restaurant, I fell in love with them. They tasted so good.   

Today's recipe is Peethala Pulusu/Crab cooked in tamarind sauce is famous in Coastal Andhra. Guddu Peethalu/Crab with eggs are very famous in East Godavari which are seasonal and available during the months of July and Augusta. 

Why adding green chilies and Lady's Finger:

Adding them is optional, but green chilies cooked in tamarind sauce taste so good.

In Andhra, We mostly cook Non-vegetarian along with a veggie. For pulusu/tamarind sauce based curries we prefer lady's finger or egg plant as they complement tamarind sauce very well.

When it taste good and what we must always remember:

Peethala Pulusu will taste good after 6 to 8 hours. If we prepare in the morning it will taste good in the evening. 

When we taste the pulusu/sauce, we may feel the spiciness and tanginess is perfect or little more, but after few hours they will go down. If you feel the spiciness and tanginess is more don't worry. If you feel they are perfect add little more.

Today's Second recipe was Crab legs Pulp Curry. Chelipeds are the front large legs of crab. In the market where my dad used to bring crab, these legs are sold separately and every time we must tell them we want them. Some people will add them to the pulusu/curry. But my mom boil them, take the pulp out and make curry. She use onion paste to prepare this curry but I am using chopped onion. This is one of my favorite curry.

Peethala Pulusu / Crab cooked in Tamarind Sauce

Ingredients:

• Crabs - 3
• Onion -1, Medium size
• Green Chilies - 3
• Bendakaya/Lady's Finger - 5 no.
• Ginger-garlic paste - 1 Tbsp
• Tamarind - 1 big lemon size
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
• Red chili powder - 3 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• Oil - 4 Tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Curry leaves - 2 springs

Preparation ahead:

Blue Crab

• Soak tamarind in warm water and extract thick juice.
• Remove the shell from the crab and remove waste like gills and yellow stuff.
• Clean crab thoroughly and make into two pieces. We mush clean it properly to remove the waste and smell.
• Remove the front large front legs, Chelipeds and keep aside. We can make curry with the pulp inside that. If they are small we can add to our pulusu/Curry.
• Wash and cut lady's finger into medium sized pieces.
• Grind Onion into coarse paste, slit green chilies.

Let's Make Pulusu:

• Heat oil in a pan, add curry leaves, onion paste and cook till onion paste turn into golden brown and there is no raw smell.
• Add ginger-garlic paste, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add tamarind juice, some more water (Upto 2 cups), lady's finger pieces and cook till the pieces are almost done. (If plan to add egg plant, add them to the tamarind sauce along with crab as they cook fast).
• Add crab, salt, green chilies and cook on medium for 10 minutes or till oil oozes out.
• Serve with rice.

Crab Legs(Chelipeds) Pulp Curry:

Ingredients:

• Chelipeds/Crab front legs - 6
• Onion - 1, medium size
• Curry leaves - 1 spring
• Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Red chili powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
• Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp or to taste
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 2 Tbsp
• Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup

Preparation:

• Boil water in a vessel and dip chelipeds and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Take them out and let them cool.
• Now hit them with a pestle (Don't crush them) and remove the pulp and keep aside.

Let's Prepare Curry:

• Heat oil, add curry leaves, chopped onion (We can also use onion paste) and cook till onion turn golden brown.
• Add  ginger-garlic paste and all spice powders, turmeric powder and cook for 5 minutes on low flame..
• Add pulp from crab, coriander leaves and cook until oil oozes and Serve with rice.