Today is a special episode, recorded live in partnership with Charleston Wine + Food Festival’s Tasting Notes series, and I was thrilled to invite Maneet Chauhan back to the mic to be my guest for this special day in the festival’s demo kitchen. Maneet is known for her work on Food Network’s “Chopped” where she sits on the permanent panel of judges, and she’s also a James Beard Award for Excellence recipient. She currently helms Nashville restaurants Chauhan Ale & Masala House, Tansuo, The Mockingbird and Chaatable, and before Maneet sat down with us, she cooked some delicious Malabar Coconut Crab Cakes, a recipe you can below. The bright and bubbly chef star flew in from Nashville just to spend the day with us, and this episode was co-produced by Lindsay Collins of LMC Soundsystems and EffinB Radio, so I hope you enjoy our chat as much as we enjoyed being with Maneet in the Charleston Wine + Food kitchen! 

Malabar Coconut Crab Cakes| Chef Maneet Chauhan 

Yields 6 cakes 

For Crab Cakes:

½ lb crab claw meat

½ lb crab lump meat

¼ tsp fresh ginger, finely grated

¼ tsp garlic, finely grated 

1 jalapeno, finely grated 

2tbsp cilantro chopped

¼ tsp red chillie powder

¼ tsp cumin powder

¼ tsp coriander powder (optional) 

1 tsp lime juice

½ cup fresh grated coconut 

1 tsp curry powde 

2 eggs

1/3 cup panko

salt to taste

For Mango Slaw: 

1 Mango – can use mango or your favorite fruit 

1 jalapeno, finely grated

2 curry leaves (finely chopped) (optional) 

¼ tsp chopped ginger (finely chopped)

½ tsp diced red bell pepper (finely chopped) 

½ tsp chopped cilantro (finely chopped)

1 tsp lime juice

sugar to taste

salt to taste

For Fennel Tomato Chutney: 

½ tsp black Mustard seeds

2 tsp fennel seeds

1 lb tomatoes, chopped

½ cup brown sugar

1 tsp white distilled vinegar

½ tsp red chili powder

salt to taste

For Crab Cakes

  1. Combine all crab cake ingredients (crab meat, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, cilantro, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, lime juice, grated coconut, curry powder, eggs, panko and salt) in large mixing bowl. 

  2. Once combined, form patties out of batter (should make approx. 6 patties) using your hands.

  3. Place pan on stovetop and spray with oil. Sear patties on both sides until golden brown.

  4. Finish patties in the oven at 350 degrees for 5-7 mins.  

For Mango Slaw 

Slice mango into long strips and mix remaining slaw ingredients in a large bowl.

For Chutney

  1. Heat the oil in a pan on stovetop and add fennel seeds.

  2. When they start to crackle, add the chopped tomatoes.

  3. Add the remaining chutney ingredients and cook until the tomato is reduced to half and remove from heat. 

To Serve 

  1. On a plate, place the crab cake on a bed of mango slaw 

  2. Top with fennel tomato chutney