Thai curry crab stir fry (Pad Pong Karee) is a quick and tasty dish that combines crab meat with yellow curry powder, Thai seasoning, and Chinese celery. The result is a creamy and flavorful curry sauce that coats the succulent crab meat. Ready in just 20 minutes!
This recipe uses Nam Prik Pao and yellow curry powder. Use curry powder to make Thai crab fried rice, yellow curry fried rice, Thai pineapple fried rice, and Thai chicken satay. All are delicious and delightful.
Jump to:
- What is Crab Curry Stir Fry (Bu Pad Pong Karee)?
- Why You'll Love This Thai Recipe
- Ingredients
- Whole crab or pre-cooked crab meat?
- How to Make Thai crab curry recipe
- Helpful Kitchen Notes and Tips
- Variations
- Storing Leftovers
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Authentic Thai Recipes You'll Love
- Thai Curry Crab Stir Fry (Boo Pad Pong Karee)
- Related Thai Recipes
What is Crab Curry Stir Fry (Bu Pad Pong Karee)?
Boo Pad Pong Karee is a classic Thai dish that combines the goodness of seafood stir fry with a rich flavor. The highlight of this dish is the creamy sauce made from a mixture of eggs, sweetened condensed milk, and yellow curry powder.
It enhances the taste of the dish, making it irresistible.
The stir fry includes tender crab pieces and Chinese celery, which adds a delightful crunch. These ingredients combine to create a creamy milk mixture that complements the seafood perfectly.
It's a delectable dish that will leave.
Why You'll Love This Thai Recipe
Try this Thai Curry Crab recipe for a delicious seafood experience. Don't like crab? No problem, use scallops or lobster instead.
This easy and quick recipe offers the perfect blend of rich crab meat and vibrant yellow curry spices.
Ingredients
- Crab meat (from a 1.5-pound whole crab). Separating the crab meat into large pieces as much as possible. If using whole crab, steam or boil first until cooked. Remove the meat as much as you can for cooking.
- Yellow curry powder. Use a Japanese brand if store-bought.
- Eggs. Eggs will add the creaminess of the curry sauce.
- Evaporated milk. Adds a sweet, rich base. Coconut or regular milk is sometimes used.
- Oyster sauce. Adds full umami flavors. Read more about Thai sauces here.
- Light or thin soy sauce. Use a Thai brand of soy sauce. Read more about sauces here.
- Nam Prik Pao Thai Chili paste. Adds layers of rich, spicy, sweet, and smokiness to this Thai curry crab recipe.
- Sugar. White, brown, or palm sugar will work.
- Water. Water adds volume to the thick, rich sauce.
- Oil. Use neutral oils like avocado, canola, or vegetable oil.
- Garlic (4 cloves, chopped small)
- White or sweet onion, thinly sliced.
- Green onions (spring onions) sliced into 2-inch pieces.
- Chinese celery, thinly sliced (including stems and leaves). Read more about Thai herbs here.
- Fresh chilies. Use red peppers. (Serrano for spicy and red bell peppers for a milder taste).
Whole crab or pre-cooked crab meat?
For this recipe, you can order whole crab or pre-co crab meat in Thailand. Using whole crab requires boiling or steaming it first, then chopping it into small pieces and stir-frying in a wok.
It can be messy and time-consuming. Pre-cooked crab meat is already shelled and ready to use, saving you time and frustration.
How to Make Thai crab curry recipe
1. Create the egg mixture. Blend eggs, yellow curry powder, evaporated milk, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, Nam Prik Pao, and sugar in a small mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth.
2. Sauté aromatics. Heat a wok or large skillet on medium high heat. Sizzle garlic and white onion in oil until fragrant in a wok.
3. Make the egg mixture. Add the egg mixture to the wok, creating a luscious foundation. Add water to add more volume to the creamy base.
4. Add the veggies. Mix well with green onion, red pepper, and Chinese parsley.
5. Add the star ingredient. Finally, add the crab meat last, cooking for an additional minute. Be gentle with the crab meat. They break very easily.
Done! The masterpiece is ready! Serve with steamed Thai jasmine rice. Enjoy!
Helpful Kitchen Notes and Tips
- For optimal flavor, choose large crab meat, like blue crabs, for Thai Boo Pong Karee. If using whole crabs, boil or steam them first.
- If using whole crab for your stir fry, crack it open with a sharp knife to extract the meat or chop it into smaller pieces before cooking.
- Mud crabs, the smaller crabs, are fine to use, but the raw crab meat is more difficult to peel through the small, tough shells.
Variations
Scallops, jumbo shrimp, and lobster are excellent options for this dish. Chicken is not traditionally used, but it's a solid choice to try.
Storing Leftovers
Store Leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
A Thai crab stir fry dish is called Boo Pad Pong Karee, a Thai Crab Curry stir fry with yellow curry powder.
Pong Karee refers to the captivating yellow curry, a hallmark of Thai cuisine.
Curry crab finds its roots in Thai cuisine, particularly along the coastal areas of Thailand, where abundant seafood is found.
More Authentic Thai Recipes You'll Love
- Vegetarian yellow curry with tofu
- Authentic yellow curry with chicken
- Thai red curry paste
- Thai yellow curry paste
- Thai green curry paste
- What are kaffir lime leaves
- Pad Prik Khing with shrimp and coconut cream
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Thai Curry Crab Stir Fry (Boo Pad Pong Karee)
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
Thai curry crab stir fry is a quick and tasty dish that combines crab meat with yellow curry powder, Thai seasoning, and Chinese celery. The result is a creamy and flavorful curry sauce that coats the succulent crab meat. Ready in just 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 5 ounces evaporated milk
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon light or thin soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon plus ½ table of the oil of Nam Prik Pao Thai Chili paste
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic (4 cloves, chopped small)
- ½ white or sweet onion sliced long and thin
- 2 large stalks green onion, sliced 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup Chinese parsley, sliced thin and long, and includes both stems and leafy parts.
- Red peppers, 1 Serrano for extra heat, or ¼ cup red bell peppers for a sweet mild taste. Or Thai long red peppers, deseeded for less spiciness
- 8 oz crab meat or meat from one 1.5-pound whole crab
Instructions
- Create the egg mixture. Blend eggs, yellow curry powder, evaporated milk, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, Nam Prik Pao, and sugar in a small mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth.
-
Sauté aromatics. Heat a wok or large skillet on medium-high heat. Sizzle garlic and white onion in oil until fragrant in a wok.
-
Make the egg mixture. Add the egg mixture to the wok, creating a luscious foundation. Add water to add more volume to the creamy base.
-
Add the veggies. Mix well with green onion, red pepper, and Chinese parsley.
-
Add the star ingredient. Finally, add the crab meat last, cooking for an additional minute. Be gentle with the crab meat. They break very easily.
Done! The masterpiece is ready! Serve with steamed Thai jasmine rice. Enjoy!
Notes
- For optimal flavor, choose large crab meat, like blue crabs, for Thai Boo Pong Karee. If using whole crabs, boil or steam them first.
- If using whole crab for your stir fry, crack it open with a sharp knife to extract the meat or chop it into smaller pieces before cooking.
- Mud crabs, the smaller crabs, are fine to use, but the raw crab meat is more difficult to peel through the small, tough shells.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Seafood recipes
- Method: Stir fry
- Cuisine: Thai
Suwanee says
This is so special, Sean! Thank you for sharing your story! I would increase the amount of the curry for a stronger curry flavor, I'd start with 1/5 tablespoon and go from there. Also, you can try making your own fresh yellow curry powder too? This will definitely give you more fresh and "stronger" flavor and aroma. My homemade recipe is here; https://www.simplysuwanee.com/yellow-curry-powder/
Sean Worthington says
Very nice. I had moved to Thailand 40 yrs ago and during my 1st week there a Thai friend from University took me to a Thai Seafood restaurant where we had Boo Pad Pong Karee and Hoi Lai. Still two of my faves. Tonight was my first attempt to make this dish and thanks to your recipe it was a success. Couldn't find a Japanese curry powder so used an Indian one, and added some cinnamon and galangal. I would have liked a bit more flavour in the curry powder, but maybe next time I'll add more unless you have a recommended add in. I did throw in a couple Serranos with the bell pepper.
Joel says
I made this the other night and was an easier recipe to follow than others' online. Arroy mak!
Suwanee says
So happy to hear, Monica! Don't go by the look for this one, only by taste! hehe
Monica says
Very very creamy! We used our left over crab legs meat instead of whole one. It was incredible. The final dish looked sketchy, lol, but the taste blew us away! 😄