Madras Crab Curry - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
1 whole star anise pod, crushed
3 whole black peppercorns
3 dried chile peppers
3/4 teaspoon urad dal
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 large red onions, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 teaspoons ground red chile pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
salt to taste
2 cups water, divided
3 ripe plum tomatoes, pureed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 cup grated fresh coconut
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 pod tamarind, soaked in warm water, juice extracted
6 crabs, cleaned

Preparation

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add cinnamon stick, cloves, star anise, and peppercorns; cook and stir until spices start to pop. Add dried chile peppers, urad dal, and fennel seeds; cook until dal starts turning golden, 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir onions, garlic, and ginger into the pot. Cook and stir until garlic just starts to turn golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add garam masala, chile powder, turmeric, and salt; cook 1 minute more.
Stir 1 cup of water, tomato puree, and tomato paste into the pot. Cook until tomato puree thickens, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 cup water, coconut, and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; stir in tamarind juice.
Bring curry back to a boil. Reduce heat to low; add crabs to the pot. Cook over medium-low heat until crabmeat is opaque, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand until crabs absorb curry flavors, about 2 hours.