Treasure Kitchen Greenlane
Singapore Chilli Crabs
Awarded by Bee Keng Koh
If there is a dish that truly takes me home to the land of my birth, that's the Singapore chilli crab. It's something that we have practically on every happy occasion, from birthdays, anniversaries to family gatherings. And it is the one dish that is on my must have list when I return to Singapore. Chilli crab is stir fried crab covered in tomato-based chilli sauce. It is accompanied by deep-fried buns known as mantous. In my 20-plus years living in NZ, this is the one dish I yearn for the most and I felt my prayers were answered when during the Covid-19 pandemic, I had the first taste of chilli crab at Treasure Kitchen. The sauce just takes me home - thick, sweet, and just slightly spicy. Since my discovery, I have travelled multiple times from my home on the North Shore to Otahuhu just for this. Treasure Kitchen has brought this iconic Singapore dish to make it a truly iconic Auckland dish. For Singapore-born Kiwis like me, it is also a dish of many happy memories.