Crab Xec Xec

This is one of the traditional Goan Crab Curry dish wherein you make the use of pre-roasted spices and grinding them to a paste. It has a nice spicy flavour and goes great with steamed rice and can also be enjoyed with bread or phulkas.
Ingredients	Quantity
Crabs	2 med.
Coconut	Grated – 100 gm
Garlic Cloves	Peeled – 8 nos
Garlic	Chopped – 4 nos.
Onions	Chopped – 1 no.
Fresh Chillies	2 nos.
Ginger	Chopped – ½ inch pc.
Red Chillies (Dried)	06 nos.
Pepper corns	6nos.
Vinegar	1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder	½ tsp
Cumin Seeds	½ tsp
Oil	2 tbsp
Tamarind – small ball
Salt to taste
Preparation Method: Clean and wash the crabs. Throw the shell and insides. Crack the claws and cut the body in half. Grind together the coconut, cumin, garlic, dried red chilies, turmeric and peppercorns with 50 ml of water to get a coarse paste. Place the mixture in a cloth and squeeze out the milk till it is dry and then set aside the milk and discard the paste. Heat the oil in a thick-bottomed pot and fry the onions till they are soft. Add the fresh chillies, ginger and garlic and continue to stir on medium heat till they start to change colour. Add the crab and stir them till they are pink. Add the coconut extract, vinegar, tamarind paste and salt and simmer for twenty minutes till the crabs are cooked through. Bring the sauce to a rapid boil for half a minute and taste and adjust the seasonings if required. Simmer till the gravy is thickened to your liking. Remove from the heat and serve.