Crab in Padang sauce facts for kids
Kepiting saus Padang, crab in Padang sauce
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| Alternative names | Indonesian: Kepiting saus Padang |
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| Course | Main course |
| Place of origin | Indonesia |
| Region or state | Padang, West Sumatra |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Crab served in Padang-style hot and spicy sauce, which includes chili pepper, garlic, shallot, ginger, turmeric, candlenut and scallion |
Crab in Padang sauce or Padang crab (Indonesian: Kepiting saus Padang) is a super yummy seafood dish from Indonesia. It features crab cooked in a special hot and spicy sauce from the Padang region. This dish is one of the most popular ways to enjoy crab in Indonesia. You can often find it in cities near the coast, like Padang, Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya, Makassar, and Cirebon. It's a bit like chili crab, but Padang crab uses even more amazing spices!
Contents
Where Does Padang Crab Come From?
This tasty recipe comes from the West Sumatra region of Indonesia, specifically from a cooking style called Padang cuisine. Padang food is famous for its rich, hot, and spicy bumbu, which means a mix of spices.
The Special Spice Mix
The main spice mix for Padang crab includes many flavorful ingredients. These are usually ground together to make a paste. Some of the key spices are:
- Shallot (like a small onion)
- Garlic
- Red chili pepper (for the heat!)
- Bird's eye chili (even hotter!)
- Ginger
- Turmeric (which gives a nice yellow color)
- Candlenut (a nutty ingredient that helps thicken the sauce)
What Kind of Crab Is Used?
The most common type of crab used in this dish is the mud crab. Sometimes, blue crab can also be used. Both types of crabs soak up the delicious sauce perfectly.
How Is Padang Crab Made?
Making Crab in Padang sauce involves a few steps to get that amazing flavor.
Preparing the Crab
First, the crabs are boiled in hot water until they are partly cooked. This hot water is saved because it becomes a flavorful crab broth that will be used later in the sauce. After boiling, the crabs are cut into pieces, making them easier to eat and allowing the sauce to get into all the nooks and crannies.
Making the Spicy Sauce
The bumbu (ground spice mixture) is the heart of the sauce. It includes:
- Garlic
- Shallot
- Bird's eye pepper
- Ginger
- Turmeric
- Candlenut
- Red chili pepper
This spice paste is then quickly stir-fried in a little palm oil. This step helps to release all the wonderful smells and flavors of the spices. Chopped onion, salam leaf (which is like an Indonesian bay leaf), and keffir lime leaf are also added during the stir-frying. These leaves add a fresh, zesty aroma.
Mixing It All Together
Once the spice paste is ready, the crab pieces are added to the pan. Then, the saved crab broth is poured in, along with other ingredients that make the sauce rich and tasty:
- Scallions
- Tomato ketchup
- Chili sauce
- Oyster sauce
- Salt
- Pepper
Finally, beaten eggs are stirred into the sauce. This makes the sauce thicker and gives it a lovely, smooth texture. The finished Padang sauce crab is known for its savory, hot, and spicy taste!
Other Seafood with Padang Sauce
The same delicious Padang sauce isn't just for crab! It's often used with other kinds of seafood too. For example, you might find kerang saus Padang, which is clams cooked in this same amazing sauce.
