Singapore · Fish and Seafood Dishes · Spicy
Singapore Chili Crab
Singapore's national dish — whole crab braised in a glossy sweet-spicy tomato-chili sauce with garlic, ginger, and egg ribbons. Created in 1950s Singapore and eaten with your hands, mopping up every drop of sauce with warm mantou buns.
45 min 500 kcal 1 serves Advanced🌶️Spicy🇸🇬Singapore★★★★★4.8· 5 reviews
Ingredients
ServingsMetric
- 800 gcrab meat or 1 whole prepared crab
- 2 tbspvegetable oil
- 3 red chili peppers
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 large onion or 6-8 shallots
- 30 gfresh ginger
- 3 tbsptomato paste
- 4 tbspketchup
- 2 tbspsweet chili sauce
- 1 tbspoyster sauce
- 3 tbspsugar
- 300 mlchicken or vegetable broth
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsplime juice
- 1 tspcornstarch
- 2 tbspwater
- fresh cilantro for garnish
Method
- Blend chili, garlic, onion, and ginger in a blender with a little water to a smooth paste. This is called 'rempah' — the flavor base of the dish.
- Heat oil in a deep wok or skillet. Fry the paste for 5-7 minutes until fragrant. Add tomato paste, ketchup, sweet chili sauce, and oyster sauce. Cook 2-3 more minutes.
- Pour in the broth, add sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken. Taste — it should be sweet, spicy, and tangy.
- If using frozen crab, thaw at room temperature first. Add the crab to the sauce, stir gently to coat all pieces. Cover and simmer on low heat for 8-10 minutes.
- Dissolve cornstarch in water and pour into the sauce. Beat eggs and pour in a thin stream while stirring — the eggs should form silky ribbons, not scrambled chunks. Add lime juice and turn off heat immediately.
- Transfer to a large plate, drizzle generously with sauce, garnish with cilantro. Serve with warm bread or baguette for dipping. The traditional way is to eat with mantou buns.
FAQ
Fresh or live crab gives the best result — the meat is more tender and flavorful. Frozen raw crab (thawed) is perfectly acceptable. Avoid pre-cooked frozen crab — it turns rubbery when simmered in the sauce.
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Comments (1)
I bring the crab meat to room temperature for 10 minutes before cooking singapore chili crab. Cold fish hitting a hot pan drops the temperature and you lose that crucial initial sear. Just 10 minutes, not more — food safety matters.