Kankada Jhola
A fiery coastal Odia crab curry cooked with onion, tomato and mustard oil, ladled generously over hot rice.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 240 kcal
Equipment
- •Kadai
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 240 kcal
- fat
- 13 g
- carbs
- 10 g
- fibre
- 2 g
- protein
- 22 g
- calories
- 240 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Clean the crab pieces thoroughly. Set them aside.
- 2
Heat mustard oil in a kadai (deep pan). Add panch phutana (five-spice blend) and let it crackle.
- 3
Add chopped onion. Fry until it turns golden brown.
- 4
Stir in ginger-garlic paste. Cook for one minute.
- 5
Add chopped tomato, turmeric, chilli powder and coriander powder.
- 6
Cook the masala (spice mix) until the oil separates from the mixture.
- 7
Add the crab pieces. Mix well to coat them completely in the masala.
- 8
Pour in enough water to make a curry. Add slit green chillies and cover with a lid.
- 9
Simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes until the crab is cooked through.
- 10
Adjust the salt to your taste. Serve hot with rice.
Chef's tips
Buy live or very fresh crab for the best flavour, and clean thoroughly to remove the gills. Let the masala cook well before adding the crab so the gravy does not taste raw.
Ingredient substitutions
- crab → tiger prawns
Storage
Refrigerate for up to a day; crab is best eaten fresh.
Reheating
Reheat gently, covered, on low flame.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Undercooking the masala base, which leaves a raw tomato taste.
- •Overcrowding the pan so the crab does not cook evenly.
Serving suggestions
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