Southern Thai Crab Curry — Gaeng Pu Bai Cha Plu
A Southern Thai crab curry simmered in coconut milk with red curry paste, fresh turmeric, and wild betel leaves, finished with palm sugar, fish sauce, and lime leaves over jasmine rice for a fragrant rich regional bowl.
Thai
Categories
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Instructions
Prep
Pound fresh turmeric, garlic cloves, and shallot halves in a mortar to a coarse paste. Mix with red curry paste in a small bowl. Slice long red chillies diagonally and bruise bird chillies. Have all ingredients measured and ready.
Bloom
Skim 1/2 cup thick cream from coconut milk top. Heat in a saucepan with 2 tbsp oil over medium heat 3 minutes until cream splits and red-tinted oil beads rise to surface.
Sear
Add curry paste mixture and bruised bird chillies to bloomed cream over medium heat 2 minutes until deeply fragrant, oil turns deep red, and kitchen smells of warm chilli and turmeric.
Simmer
Pour remaining coconut milk over medium heat with fish sauce, palm sugar, and kaffir lime leaves. Bring to gentle simmer 8–9 minutes uncovered until sauce thickens and curry oil glistens orange across surface.
Build
Add crab meat to simmering curry over medium-low heat. Fold gently 3 minutes until just heated through and tender, keeping flaky lumps intact without breaking them apart.
Finish and plate
Remove from heat. Fold in wild betel leaves and red chilli slices off heat 30 seconds until just wilted and aromatic. Plate curry alongside jasmine rice with extra betel leaves scattered over.
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