chilli crab

English

Alternative forms

• chili crab

Etymology

Compound noun formed with English elements, chilli + crab.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃɪli kɹæb/

Noun

chilli crab (countable and uncountable, plural chilli crabs)

1. (chiefly Singapore, Malaysia) A dish originated and popularized in Singapore, made up of stir-fried crab cooked in a semi-thick sweet and savoury tomato- and chilli-based sauce.
   • 2000 November 23, Ong Wan Shu, The Straits Times:

     Mr Lim’s family lays claim to being the first to invent chilli crab here in 1956.

   • 2003, Su-Lyn Tan, World Food Malaysia & Singapore, page 55:

     But for that special meal, Singapore chilli crab (spicy chilli and tomato-based crab stir-fry dish; see the recipe), black pepper crab (sweet and spicy chilli and black pepper-based stir fry dish) or simple steamed crab (all using mud crab) are much-loved treats.

   • 2015 February 7, The Business Times:

     The list that emerged was intriguing - durians, chilli crab, Electronic Road Pricing (ERP), parking coupons, memorable Singlish words like "chope" and "lah", "uncles" and "aunties", "mama shop".