Chilli Crab

Chilli crab was invented in the 1950s by Cher Yam Tian, who started selling stir-fried crab in bottled chilli and tomato sauce from a pushcart, and it evolved into what is now made everywhere: mud crab in a thick gravy of tomato, chilli, egg and stock, sweet and savoury rather than truly hot, eaten with the hands and mopped up with mantou, deep-fried buns. It is the dish Singapore is known for internationally, and it is messy.

What you actually see

• The gravy - thick tomato, chilli and egg sauce, more sweet than hot.
• The mantou - deep-fried buns for mopping up, the essential accompaniment.
• The mud crab - Sri Lankan mud crab, the standard variety used.
• The mess - a dish eaten with the hands, bibs and finger bowls provided.

When to go

Year round; dinner is when it is eaten. Seafood restaurants are busiest at weekends and booking helps. Crab prices vary with supply.

Honest expectations

It is expensive: crab is sold by weight and a meal for two runs well past what any hawker meal costs. It is genuinely messy and takes work to eat. Black pepper crab is the local alternative and many Singaporeans prefer it.

Nearby

East Coast Park's seafood centre is the classic setting, and Jumbo has several outlets.