Image Credit to: Brenda Ch’ng
Today, we introduce a special dish that all seafood lovers would love: curry Kam Heong crab. Crab dishes are already a delicacy by itself, this seafood is a definite favourite for most Malaysians.
What is Curry Kam Heong Crab?
Curry Kam Heong crab is a delicacy that is pleasing to smell and taste, and for good reasons too!The term Kam Heong is a culinary cooking style that was developed in Malaysia. This Cantonese term can be directly translated to mean ‘golden fragrance’, a tantalising name perfectly describing the taste of this seafood delicacy.
This dish primarily involves mixing a variety of spices and sauces that produces a mouth-watering taste when stir-fried with seafood such as crabs and prawns. Kam Heong cooking style itself also goes perfectly with chicken dishes.
The spices that produce the final flavours of the dish include crushed dried shrimps, curry powder, oyster sauce and several other ingredients. These few ingredients would already create a mouth-watering seasoning mix on their own, but other seasonings such as garlic cloves, finely sliced onions and pepper powder surely add on to the final spicy taste of the crab meat!
History of Curry Kam Heong Crab
Curry Kam Heong crab certainly wasn’t the first Kam Heong dish to be introduced in Malaysia, although it is among the top favourites in Malaysia.This dish is highlight in Malaysia because the taste for this dish is mainly attributed to the unique blend of Malay spices and ingredients with the Chinese stir-frying cooking style.
Malays are well-known for their selection of spices which include curry leaves and bird-eye chillis. Meanwhile, the Chinese are more renowned for their choices of cooking style, which includes stir-frying, steaming and red-stewing.
The beautiful mix of cultures here has led to the creation of this wonderful dish – an amalgamation of flavours in what is now Curry Kam Heong Crab. This dish is but one of the first Chinese Malaysian dishes among many more that would follow afterwards.
Today, Kam Heong cooking style is recognised as a signature Malaysian stir-frying style that is well-known for the wonderful fragrance emitted during the cooking process. Reflecting on the name of this cooking style, it really is no surprise that the aroma of the dish is referred to as the Golden Fragrance.
Types of Curry Kam Heong Crab
With the dish being a speciality itself, there aren’t many variants of the Curry Kam Heong Crab. There may be some differences in the type of curry spices used.
As an example, some would add in fresh curry leaves with fish curry powder, while some would only include the curry leaves and leave it to the bird’s eye chillies to bring out the rest of the spicy taste!
The type and amount of chilli may also vary depending on individual preferences, but it is safe to say that the general taste and aroma stays the same regardless of where you get this dish from.
However, Kam Heong cooking style itself popular enough to provide even more cooking choices. Crab dishes aside, you’ll find that Kam Heong clams & chicken are also well-loved by our local food community. If you love the Kam Heong crab dish, be sure to try out the other aforementioned foods too!
Where to Find Curry Kam Heong Crab in Malaysia
If you want a much more authentic experience and taste, you should enjoy this dish when it’s served piping hot at any establishment of your choice!
Want your food delivered? No problem. You can even find a halal-certified curry Kam Heong crab served at Mohd Chan Dim Sum (Sunway Geo) on foodpanda!