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Nandu milagu curry: A crab feast from Puducherry’s fishing village
On New Year’s Day, as I was on my early morning walk along the seashore at the fishing village in Kuruchikuppam, Puducherry, a feisty and loveable boy named Sanjay, who visited me occasionally for chocolates, sat on the beach looking out at the sea.
By
migrator
migrator
Chennai
On asking him why he was sitting alone, he replied that he was waiting for his father, who was out with the trawler for deep sea fishing. Sanjay’s father had apparently promised him crabs for lunch as it was a holiday. And the young boy decided that he was not going to move from his spot until he saw the fishing trawler. “After all, catching crabs couldn’t be such a big deal,” he said, recalling the times he himself had caught some baby crabs.
His father, Muthikarrpiah was a well-known fisherman, whose forefathers had lived in the village since the days they did trading not only with the French, but also Portuguese, the British and the Far East. Sometimes, I would listen to the stories from the good old days from Muthikarrpiah’s father, who sat the whole day in the sun fixing fishing nets.
He always said that those days were peaceful, when all one wondered about was how much fish to catch and eat. Now, everything is commercial, with fancy restaurants and hotels all around, paying enormous prices for their catch, not to the fishermen, but to middlemen and their bosses, who owned all the trawlers.
Puducherry is a place which continues to brand itself as a place with the ‘unmistakeable French connection’ — a tourist haven for seafood lovers and people wanting to savour both the Indian and French culture, which is prevalent here. People can get a glimpse of the French connection when they see blue-enamelled signposts bearing French names such as Rue Labourdonnais are pretty normative in the French Quarter called the White Town.
To the other side of the canal lies the Tamil Quarter named the Black Town (Ville Noir) by the French. This is where the famous fishing village of Kuruchikuppam lies, stretching along the coastline. This later emerges as the Promenade, a posh stretch of beach with famous buildings across and a beautiful pathway built to walk. Gandhi smiles down from his statue right in the centre of the Promenade.
In the fishing village, activity starts at 4 am, when the fisherfolk get ready with their nets and equipment to set course. Once back from their fishing adventures, the place bustles as an instant fish market is set up. By 10 am, everything is sold out and it is siesta time. All morning rituals are completed in the house by the women and on the sea by the men. Children are packed off to the local schools.
Since it was a holiday, Sanjay was waiting there like an eagle looking for its prey. He had already asked his mother to make rasam and rice, which would go with nandu milagu curry. He jumped out of joy on seeing his father’s trawler return, with fresh crabs
being unloaded.
The subcontinent, once part of the ancient Gondwana supercontinent, saw the great Chola dynasty exist since then. Nandu milagu curry was very much a part of the royal cuisine. Prior to consuming the dish, they ate angaya podi with rice to aid in better digestion. ‘Curry’ has two very different meanings in this context — one is the curry leaf which grows in south India and Sri Lanka, and the other as a spiced dish, a British name for the dishes they encountered in India.
Meanwhile, close to Sanjay’s home, the hustle bustle to cook the crabs began. This is a sight that every visitor to Puducherry must experience in the fishing village. Tasting the authentic nandu milagu curry cooked at the Promenade is another must. The infusion of flavours from fennel seeds powder and black pepper powder make this dish mouth-watering.
Nandu Milagu Curry
Preparation time: 15 min
Cooking time: 45 min
Serves: 4
Calories per serving: 395
Ingredients:
Large crabs: 2
Coconut oil: 5 tbsp
Shallots: 1 big cup (peeled and cut)
Tamarind paste: 1/2 cup
Cloves: 5
Green cardamom: 5
Cinnamon stick: 2 (3-inch pieces)
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Green chillies: 3 (slit)
Chilli powder: 2 tsp
Black pepper powder: 2 tsp (fresh and coarsely ground)
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds: 1 1/2 tsp (powdered)
Curry leaves: handful
Salt: as per taste
Water: 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves: 1/4 cup (chopped)
Curry leaves and coriander paste: 1 1/2 tbsp
Method:
- Cut the crabs in half, separate the big claws and rinse thoroughly in salt water. Apply turmeric and pepper powder and set it aside.
- Place a kadai on fire. Add oil and once hot, add in the whole spices — cloves, cinnamon and green cardamom. Let them splutter and then add the onion. Stir well and cook for 4-5 minutes, until they are translucent and softened.
- Add in the ginger garlic paste and sauté for 2 minutes. Now add the tamarind paste and cook everything together for about 3 minutes.
- Add chilli powder, turmeric powder and mix well. Add a little water, place the lid on the pan and cook for another 3 minutes. Remember to stir in between to avoid burning.
- Add the curry leaves and coriander paste and stir well for a minute. Now add the crabs and mix well in the onion mixture. Add salt, water and mix again. Cook for about 2 minutes on a high flame. Then put the lid back on the pan and cook for about 4-5 minutes until the crab shells turn pink.
- Remove the lid and add curry leaves, fresh black pepper powder, fennel powder, slit green chillies and mix well. Continue to cook for about 3-4 minutes on a low flame. Stir the crab masala continuously so it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
- Once you see the oil separating from the crab masala on the sides, that’s when the dish is almost ready.
- Check for seasoning and add salt if required. The crabs should be cooked and the masala well incorporated in the crab.
- Add coriander leaves, stir for a couple of minutes and turn off the flame.
- Serve the nandu milagu curry with fluffy white rice and rasam.
Kitchen Tips
- Fresh crabs and freshly ground pepper powder are essential for this dish
- Cook the crabs in whole after cleaning. Do not remove the meat alone and cook
- You could also add tomatoes instead of tamarind, but a little authenticity will be lost
— Chef Ramaa Shanker is the author of ‘Festive Offerings to the Gods: Divine Soul Recipes’
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