"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
Singapore's Dish
Chilli crab is Singapore's national seafood dish: whole mud crab stir-fried in a thick, sweet-savoury sauce of tomato, chilli, egg and shrimp paste that clings to every crevice of the shell. It is eaten with the hands and with fried or steamed mantou buns to mop up the sauce. Messy, generous and communal, it is a national institution.
The Sauce
The sauce, not the chilli heat, is the heart of the dish. Built on tomato and chilli with shrimp paste for depth, it is thickened and finished with beaten egg, which sets in soft ribbons and gives it a slightly custardy body. It must be thick enough to coat the shell; a thin sauce is a sign of careless cooking. It is sweet, savoury and only moderately hot.
The Crab
The crab itself is usually a meaty mud crab, stir-fried in the shell so its juices enrich the sauce. Eating it is hands-on work: cracking the claws, picking out the meat and dragging it through the sauce. A single crab yields less meat than it appears, so generous ordering is wise.
A Singaporean Identity
Chilli crab brings together the strands of Singapore on one plate, the mud crab, Cantonese wok technique and a Malay-influenced chilli sauce, all at once. Created in the mid-twentieth century, it has become a defining national dish. The mantou buns, dunked in the leftover sauce, are as essential as the crab itself.
What to Expect
The crab arrives in a wok-sized bowl, the sauce flowing around it. The claws are cracked with the mallet provided, the meat extracted with a pick and dipped 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.
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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.
