Singapore Chilli Crab Pasta Recipe

Singapore-style chilli crab linguine piled on a blue-green plate, glossy red chilli crab sauce with flakes of crab meat and coriander.

Azlin Bloor

Singapore chilli crab pasta with fresh or canned crab: sweet-spicy, garlicky tomato sauce, glossy and fast. Weeknight luxury, no shells.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Course Main Course

Cuisine fusion, Singaporean

Servings 4 (3-4)

Calories 546 kcal

Ingredients

2 Tbsp tamarind pulp or shop bought paste
4 Tbsp water for the tamarind
300 g tagliatelle or any pasta
1 large pot of water + 1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tomatoes
3 Tbsp tomato ketchup
3 Tbsp chilli sauce sweet
½ tsp salt only if needed
250 ml pasta water
4 crab claws optional
1 egg lightly beaten
400 g crab meat read article
2 Tbsp chopped chives or 1 spring onion (scallion), optional
chilli flakes optional

Grind to a Paste

1 medium onion
3 red chillies
3 cloves garlic
5 cm fresh ginger
2 Tbsp taucheo soybean paste, read article above for substitutes

Instructions

Soak Tamarind Pulp

Soak the tamarind pulp in the water for 10 minutes. The hotter the water, the less time you need.
If you're using shop bought paste, skip this obviously.
2 Tbsp tamarind pulp, 4 Tbsp water
After the soaking time, give it all good mix, squeezing the pulp with your fingers, then strain through a medium or large mesh sieve. Discard the seeds and pulp.

Cook the Pasta

Bring a large pan of water with 1 tsp salt to a boil. Cook the tagliatelle according to packet instructions, usually about 8 - 10 minutes until al dente (just cooked).
300 g tagliatelle, 1 large pot of water + 1 tsp salt
Strain when the pasta is done, reserving about 250 ml (1 cup) of the water.
Leave the tagliatelle over the pot in the colander.

Prep Work (while pasta is cooking)

Peel and quarter the onions, peel the garlic and ginger.
1 medium onion, 3 cloves garlic, 5 cm fresh ginger
Add to a food chopper, along with the chillies and taucheo and blitz to a fine paste.
3 red chillies, 2 Tbsp taucheo
Quarter the tomatoes.
2 tomatoes

Let's Get Cooking

Heat the oil in a large wok and fry the paste ingredients for 5 minutes until fragrant and it reaches the pecah minyak stage. You shouldn't need too long given that our paste doesn't have any added water.
Read about pecah minyak in the article.
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Add the tomatoes, half the pasta water, ketchup, chilli sauce, tamarind, and crab claws and give it all a good stir.
Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes until the crabs are done. Large ones will need 10 minutes, if they're small, they'll be done at 8. If you're not sure, go for the whole 10 minutes.
3 Tbsp tomato ketchup, 3 Tbsp chilli sauce sweet, 250 ml pasta water, 4 crab claws
Taste and add salt if needed. If the sauce is a little to dry for your liking, add more water and again check the seasoning. You want sweet and slightly spicy.
½ tsp salt
Tip in the crab meat, stir for 10 seconds, then add the egg and gently swirl it in for 10 seconds. The egg doesn’t want very long as you want wisps of it, not scrambled bits.
1 egg lightly beaten, 400 g crab meat
Add the pasta and stir well to mix and to heat right through.
Serve hot, topped with chives or chilli flakes if you fancy.
chilli flakes, 2 Tbsp chopped chives

Nutrition

Calories: 546kcalCarbohydrates: 77gProtein: 32gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 146mgSodium: 1409mgPotassium: 794mgFiber: 5gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 1025IUVitamin C: 67mgCalcium: 110mgIron: 3mg

Keyword crab, easy recipes, pasta

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