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Curry crab layered over rice in a cake ring, topped with fish roe

Curry Crab with Fish Roe over Rice 咖哩蟹魚籽飯

Creamy Hong Kong-style curry crab layered over rice like a cake, topped with popping fish roe. Rich, briny, and impressive.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Chinese, Hong Kong

Equipment

  • Wok
  • Rice Cooker
  • cake collar or acetate ring

Ingredients
  

Curry Sauce 咖哩汁

  • 1 Tbsp cooking oil (食油)
  • 1 onion, diced (洋蔥)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (蒜蓉)
  • 1–2 Tbsp curry paste (咖哩膏)
  • 1 can (13.5 oz / 400 ml) coconut milk (椰奶)
  • 1 Tbsp oyster sauce (蠔油)
  • Salt and sugar, to taste (鹽、糖)
  • Cornstarch slurry — cornstarch mixed with equal parts cold water, as needed (生粉水)

Crab & Assembly 蟹肉及上碟

  • 1 can (16 oz) crab meat drained (蟹肉)
  • 1 cup chicken broth (雞湯)
  • Cornstarch slurry, as needed
  • 2 cups jasmine rice + 2 cups water, cooked 1:1 in rice cooker (白飯)
  • Fish roe (tobiko), for topping — from the Asian market (魚籽)

Instructions
 

Curry Sauce

  • Rinse 2 cups jasmine rice, add 2 cups water (1:1 ratio), and cook in the rice cooker.
  • Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Sauté the diced onion until soft, then add the minced garlic.
  • Add 1–2 Tbsp curry paste and stir-fry until fragrant.
  • Pour in the coconut milk; add oyster sauce, and salt and sugar to taste.
  • Slowly drizzle in cornstarch slurry while stirring, until the curry thickly coats the back of a spatula (the spatula test).

Crab & Assembly

  • In a separate wok, cook the crab meat with 1 cup chicken broth; thicken with a little cornstarch slurry.
  • Set a cake collar or acetate ring on a serving plate. Pack in a layer of hot rice.
  • Spoon the crab meat over the rice, then ladle the curry sauce generously over the top.
  • Top with a generous amount of fish roe. Carefully lift off the ring and serve immediately.

Notes

The fish roe (tobiko) from the Asian market is the whole point — its briny pop against the rich curry is what makes this dish.
Spatula test: the curry should coat the back of a spatula in a thick, even layer before you stop adding slurry.
Next time: pour extra curry sauce so it cascades like a waterfall when the ring comes off!
Rice cooker 1:1 rice-to-water ratio gives perfect fluffy rice for packing.