"Singapore's national dish: whole mud crab in a thick egg-tomato-chilli sauce, eaten with bare hands and mantou buns. Invented in 1956."
About Chilli Crab
Singapore's national dish and the most dramatic seafood experience in Southeast Asia — whole Sri Lankan mud crab stir-fried in a lava-thick sauce of tomato, chilli, egg and shrimp paste that clings to every crevice of the shell; eaten with bare hands and mantou (fried buns) to mop up the sauce; first created by Cher Yam Tian in 1956 at the original Palm Beach restaurant.
Chilli Crab — a staple of Singapore's cuisine
Whole Sri Lankan mud crab stir-fried in a thick sauce of tomato, chilli, egg and shrimp paste that clings to every crevice of the shell. Eaten with bare hands and deep-fried mantou buns to mop up the sauce. First created by Cher Yam Tian in 1956 at Palm Beach restaurant.
The egg is beaten into the sauce at the end, giving it a slightly custard-like texture. The sauce must be thick enough to cling to the shell — a thin sauce means the starch was under-reduced.
What to Expect
The crab arrives in a wok-sized bowl, the sauce flowing around it. You crack the claws with the mallet provided, extract the meat with a pick and dip in the sauce. The mantou is for the sauce remaining in the bowl.
Why Try It
Chilli crab is the dish that most directly represents Singapore's seafood identity — the Sri Lankan mud crab, the Cantonese technique and the Malay chilli sauce are all Singaporean simultaneously.
Insider Tips
Order at least one crab per two people — the meat quantity in a mud crab is less than it appears.
Jumbo Seafood Restaurant and No Signboard Seafood are the two most established addresses.
Mantou buns are essential — order extra.
