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Stuffed crab (Poo Cha) - Delicious crab dish where the crab shell is stuffed with the filling of crab and ground pork. Stuffed crab poo cha is great!
When I was growing up in Malaysia, my favorite times were the many festivities that we observed. With every
festivity, my late grandmother would prepare lots of food.
Sometimes her younger brother’s wife—my grand aunt—would come and cook together, then exchange or share the dishes
they made.
I loved the idea of exchanging food, because we got to try out new dishes, dishes that are not commonly served in
our family. Plus, grand aunt was a great cook who seemed to have endless new recipes to share.
One of the creations was stuffed crab, a profoundly delicious concoction that never appeared on our
family’s dining table. I was a happy soul whenever grand aunt made stuffed crab.
I love crab and was fascinated by the presentation of the stuffed crab…but above all, I just couldn’t resist the
scrumptious filling stuffed inside the beautiful crab shells.
I don’t really know the true origin of this dish. In Penang, I have had stuffed crab
at Chinese seafood restaurants.
In Thailand, this dish is called poo cha. In some Chinese buffet restaurants, you can find
something similar.
Never mind the source of this wonderful dish, for now, it’s my favorite stuffed crab that brings back a lot of
childhood memories—my late grandmother’s smiley (and contended) face after tasting the goods; my grand-aunt’s
generosity in sharing her new dish; and the young and excited me when I spotted the bright red crab shells with
luscious filling, sitting pretty on the dining table.
Frequently Asked Question
This recipe is only 249 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Stuffed Crab
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Stuffed Crab (Poo Cha)
Ingredients
- 6-8 blue crab shells
Fillings:
- 8 oz (250g) ground pork
- 4 oz (125g) crab meat
- 2 oz (60g) peeled shrimp, minced
- 1 egg
- 3 shallots, minced
- 6 coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 3 heavy dashes ground black pepper
Coating:
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the filling and blend well. The texture should be sticky.
- Stuff the filling into the empty crab shells using a spoon, smoothing out the surface with the back of the spoon. Steam the stuffed crab for 5 minutes, then discard any water that seeps out.
- Cool the stuffed crab to room temperature after steaming. Heat a wok with some oil. When the oil is hot, dip each crab shell into the beaten eggs, ensuring the filling is well coated.
- Transfer the stuffed crabs to the wok and fry them. As soon as the surface turns light to golden brown, remove them from the wok and serve immediately.
Notes
If you don’t have empty crab shells, you can still make the dish. Just divide the Filling into 6-8 portions. Flatten the Filling into a patty instead of stuffing inside the crab shell. (Next time when you eat blue crab, you can save the shell for this recipe.
love serving this stuffed crab with my favorite chili sauce, Lingham Hot Sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you bake instead of frying the stuffed crab? If so, what temp and how long?
Yes you can bake.
In Vietnam, we have a similar dish, which is French influenced. It has a mixed Viet-French name: Cua farci. Cua means crab in Vietnamese. Farci means stuffed in French. It’s a hell of a lot of work to make!