Curacha Alavar facts for kids
| Course | Main dish |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Philippines |
| Region or state | Zamboanga City |
| Created by | Maria Teresa Camins Alavar |
| Invented | 1973 |
| Serving temperature | Hot, room temperature |
| Main ingredients | spanner crab, Alavar sauce |
Curacha Alavar is a delicious Filipino dish. It's sometimes called curacha con salsa Alavar in Chavacano, which is a language spoken in the Philippines that mixes Spanish with local words. This special meal is made with a type of crab called the spanner crab, along with garlic, ginger, salt, and a very important ingredient: Alavar sauce. The Alavar sauce is what makes this dish so famous! It's a secret mix of coconut milk, taba ng talangka (which is a paste made from crab roe, or crab eggs), and different spices.
Contents
What is Curacha Alavar?
Curacha Alavar is a popular food from Zamboanga City in the Philippines. It's known for its unique taste, mostly because of the special Alavar sauce. This dish is usually served as a main meal and can be enjoyed hot or at room temperature.
The Star Ingredient: Spanner Crab
The main part of Curacha Alavar is the curacha itself. This isn't just any crab! The curacha is a special type of crab called a spanner crab. It lives in the waters around the Philippines and is known for its sweet and tender meat. When cooked with the Alavar sauce, it becomes a truly amazing dish.
The Secret Behind Alavar Sauce
The famous Alavar sauce was created by Maria Teresa Camins Alavar. She first served it at her own place, the Alavar Seafood Restaurant in Zamboanga City. The sauce was so popular that the restaurant now sells it in packets, so people can make Curacha Alavar at home. The exact recipe for the sauce is a secret, but we know it has coconut milk and crab roe paste, which give it a rich and creamy flavor.
A Twist on a Traditional Dish
Curacha Alavar is actually a new version of an older Filipino dish. The traditional dish is called ginataang curacha, which means curacha cooked in coconut milk. Maria Teresa Camins Alavar added her special sauce to this idea, making it even more flavorful and unique. While curacha is the traditional crab for this dish, you can also make it with other types of crabs, like mud crabs (called cangrejo), or even with prawns (called locon).
