Upon mere mention of Chilli Crab, mouths will salivate, eyes will close in ecstasy and Singaporeans will croon together a united, “Ahhhh….shhhhiok!”

Chilli Crab is Singapore’s unofficial “national dish”, with beginnings as humble as the country itself. It was created in the 1950s by local chef, Madam Cher Yam Tian in her hawker stall right on the seashore, today’s Palm Beach Seafood Restaurant on Upper East Coast Road. One of Madam Cher’s specialities was the first version of Singapore’s Chilli Crab, featuring live crabs in a zesty chilli-spiked gravy.

Mud crabs, flower or blue swimmer crabs are commonly used in this dish, with a generous dollop of sweet and savoury chilli sauce drenched over the steamed crab. The base of this gravy is usually chilli and tomato sauce, thickened with flour and flavoured with garlic, soya sauce and more. Beaten chicken eggs are added towards the end of the cooking process to create egg ribbons in the sauce that further enhances to its robust flavour.

And who can resist slurping the sauce down? Chilli Crab is served with steamed or fried mantou (Chinese buns), French loaves or toasted slice bread, as these make good dips to soak up the yummy sauce. The crabs are lightly steamed with ginger before being stir-fried into the sauce. Today, the chain of restaurants along East Coast Park’s Seafood Centre specialise in Chilli Crabs for their die-hard fans every night.

The dish has churned out many variations today: some are stuffed with spices such as galangal, ginger and turmeric; some are sweet-sour and rosy-pink with tomatoes; others are ribboned with beaten eggs, and some carry the satisfying sting of chilli oil that lingers in the palate. Best eaten with a few slices of French bread, baguette, or mantou (Chinese buns) to soak up the very last drop of delicious sauce, forget the cutlery and dig in with your fingers.

Highly recommended restaurants to satisfy one’s craving of chilli crab include Jumbo Seafood, Long Beach Seafood Restaurant and No Signboard Seafood – long established brands that have dominated the crab arena.