Overnight, she was a celebrity to be reckoned with. Though she was born and brought up in Meerut, it was the South film industry that brought her accolades, awards, fame and fortune. Her Tamil movie Kokki and Bengali movie Tomake Salam saw her acting skills.Pooja’s Meerut’s house backyard is full of fruits and vegetables. Her grandmother’s village was close by and she loved the summer vacations. A foodie, she travels miles f o r a tangy chaat or paneer made like her grandmother. When she came to south India at the age of 17 she got to taste the variety of seafood which she never knew existed. She always carried a huge tiffin carrier to the film sets and shared the food with all the unit members. The kitchen was her favourite place and she felt nourished and loved sitting down to those cozy family meals, which were cooked with so much love.

While shooting in Chennai, she got introduced to a crab curry, which she felt was sheer ecstasy while eating it. She quickly got the chef of the hotel to teach her how to make the crabs. Unfortunately, in Bengaluru, she has to make with the frozen ones. Whenever she throws a special dinner party or invites someone close, one of the dishes has to be her special thulu masala crabs from Tamil Nadu. Thulu means powder and when several condiments are combined and made into a powder it is called masala thulu. In the olden days, people made fresh masala every time they cooked. Nothing was ready to use and hence the taste differed so much. She believes that the crab masala curry is great comfort food, especially, on a holiday when there is no shooting or when you can sit down with friends and family and eat a leisurely meal.

These days when Pooja is forced to live alone, she misses the family camaraderie and friends as lockdown restrictions make it difficult. Her dream is be to start an exclusive eatery for paneer dishes and seafood specialties. She hopes to keep working in films and TV serials once everything opens up. Like the proverbial crab, she is sensitive and loving, but one harsh word or a misunderstanding can send her into her shell, where she loves being alone, till things have passed. Unlike the crab she is not cautious when she takes the movie world by storm,.

Today, I am sharing Pooja’s favourite crab masala recipe. It must be accompanied by a paneer dish. A spicy crab masala curry is a great immune booster and keeps away colds.

 

Crabs: 4 medium to large 

Fresh coconut, grated: one big cup

Coconut pieces: 1 tbsp 

Coriander leaves: 1 big cupful 

Cinnamon stick: 1 big piece 

Bay leaf: 1 

Ginger: 3-inch piece 

Garlic cloves: 5 

Small onion: 11/2 cup, fried

Onion: 1 chopped 

Tomato: 2 finely chopped 

Red chillies: 9 roasted and powdered 

Kashmiri red chilli powder: 1 tsp 

Coriander powder: 1 tbsp 

Turmeric powder: 1 tsp 

Salt: to taste 

Coconut oil: 3 tbsps 

Water: ½ cup

Clean the crabs, but keep the shell on

Grind the masala ingredients — fried onion, coconut, cinnamon, bay leaf, ginger, garlic and coriander leaves — to a fine paste

In a heavy bottom frying pan, heat some oil and saute the chopped onion

Add the ground masala and saute on medium flame

When onions and masala are sauteed well, add the cleaned crabs

Add oil and mix well

When the crab changes its colour after10 minutes on medium heat, add dry spice powders – turmeric, coriander, Kashmiri red chilli, red chilli – and salt. Stir all the spices to ensure that the crab is coated well with spices

Add chopped tomato, stir them into the crab mixture

Add 1/2 cup of water, since crab cooks in its moisture and simmer on a medium flame for 6 mins. Keep the pan covered

Remove the lid and you may continue cooking for a few minutes more to adjust the consistency of the gravy as desired

Serve spicy masala crab with white fluffy rice, rotis or even bread

Prep time: 50 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 2 to 3 pax

Calories: 290 cl per serve

Get the crabs cleaned at the fishmongers

If using frozen crabs, add 2 tbsp milk to the gravy