Kepiting Saus Padang means Crab in Padang Sauce or Padang Sauce Crab in Indonesian. It is Indonesia's equivalent of Singapore's chili crab. Padang sauce crab tastes savoury and spicy hot (from fresh chili pepper and chili padi). The spicy crabs are popular across Indonesia from Padang to Medan, Jakarta, Cirebon, Surabaya, Makassar, etc.
Besides crab, the signature spicy Padang sauce is also used with other seafood such as clams for Kerang Saus Padang (Clams in Padang Sauce), prawn, squid, etc. Some recipes combine all the seafood together like a Louisiana boil.
Needless to say, crab is at the heart of Kepiting Saus Padang. It is most often made with meaty mangrove mud crab, though blue swimmers (flower crab) can also be used.
Swimmers don't have meaty claws but their body meat is sweeter, juicier and softer than mud crab meat.
The soul of Kepiting Saus Padang is the bumbu or ground spice mixture which includes red chili pepper, bird's eye chili, ginger, garlic as well as turmeric, candlenut, shallot, etc. So, the dish can be fiery spicy hot.
The crabs cut into large pieces are boiled in hot water (for about 10 minutes) until medium done. The hot water from boiling the crab is used as stock for its crustacean umami flavour. To me, this underlying umami is liquid gold.
Separately, the bumbu or ground spices mixture together with chopped onion, salam leaf (Indonesian bay leaf) and keffir lime leaf are sautéed in hot oil to release its flavours and aromas. The released aromas are pungent on the nose and will fill the whole kitchen. Bystanders who cannot take the choking spicy fumes should remain outside 😬
The medium done crab pieces are then sautéed and simmered in this spice mixture together with crab stock, tomato ketchup, chili sauce, oyster sauce, salt, pepper, etc. Some recipes call for tossing boiled corn hobs into the pot.
The dish is finished by thickening the sauce with beaten eggs. Some recipes also call for water and starch to thicken the sauce. The crabs are garnished with chopped scallion and sometimes, coriander leaf before serving.
You might wish to try Kepiting Saus Padang when you are in Indonesia. If you had tried before, how do you like it?
Please help me trace the origin of Crab in Padang Sauce:
Where can I find this dish in Singapore and Malaysia?
Do you cook it at home or know someone who does?
Can you remember if your parents or grandparents or other older relatives cook it?
Please share with us in the comments 🙏
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