Is Chilli crab originated from Singapore?
Chilli crab is always associated with Singapore and is recommended by many of the Singapore tour guide books as a must try dish in Singapore.
In that case why Singapore food critics didn’t point out Chilli crab is originated from Singapore when Malaysia try to state a claim on Chilli crab?
This is because this dish is disputable as it is a dish that you can commonly find in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore and the recipes are almost similar
though there are many version of cooking.
Founder of Chilli crab
On 19th Sept 2009, Straits Time reported that a 78-year-old Madam Cher Yam Tian whose family open Palm beach restaurant and later sold it away claimed that chilli crab was created by her in 1950.
She add bottled chilli sauce to the crabs stir-fried with bottled tomato sauce. The dish was so well-loved by everyone in her kampong that she started a small pushcart business to sell it.
She even came out with idea of serving the dish with baguette so customers could map up the spicy gravy. Her business grew and eventually and opened out a stall and later in 1963, her family opened a restaurant at
514 Upper East Coast Road called Palm Beach which the family sold it in 1984.
Re-invention of Chilli crab
Chilli crab was reinvented by Singapore chef Hooi Kok Wai in 1960 who started Dragon Phoenix Restaurant. He used lemon juice, vinegar, sambal and tomato paste in his gravy and topped the dish with egg white, to give it a smoother texture instead of bottled chilli and tomato sauce.
Regardless whether this dish is originated from Singapore or Malaysia, it is definitely a dish that you must try when you are in Singapore. You can eat this dish at some of the food courts and coffee shops or
the famous Lau Pa Sia.
Below are some of the restaurant that are famous in Chilli crabs, you might one to visit to try their chilli crabs.
Palm beach seafood restaurant
No Signboard seafood
Sea food paradise
Jumbo seafood restaurant
Long beach Seafood
Back to Home Back to Top of chilli crab
Hawker centre culture
Lean about the unspoken protocol practise in Singapore hawker centre
Lau Pa Sat hawker centre
Lau Pa Sat is a hawker centre that tourist must not miss. Want to know why? Read this article
Singapore eating places
Want to know the different type of eating places in Singapore? We will show you all.
Uniquely Singapore foods
Want to know what are the dishes that are uniquely invented by Singapore?
Chilli crab
Is Chilli crab originated from Singapore? Want to know where to eat chilli crab?